Children
Children playing
reminds us
of innocence
within smaller versions
of ourselves,
altering the rules.
New,
fresh minds;
how it all begins.
The Soldier
He waits outside the mail tents
in the scorching heat,
hoping mail would come
so he could read about the birth of his child.
He wonders if it is a boy or girl.
He doesn’t want to picture
blood and bones shattered everywhere,
remembering his weak body
propped against the back of his bombed tank,
the one that once protected him.
The tank he sat in and read his wife’s finest writing,
about his new child’s best moments.
Six years later the fighting ends.
His truck is retrieved and delivered
into a museum behind glass,
holding in the soldier's’ last plea,
an innocent cry for life and humanity
From Nothing to Everything
One warm summer night, Lewis had enough. He ran away from his dad’s house and the abuse that came with it. He didn’t have any family to support him, and eventually the cops caught him and returned him to his dad’s house. Things really took a turn for the worst. He says that was the worst beating he had received from his dad. He ran away again and told the cops all about it, showing them the bruises all over his body. The cops took it to court, and nobody from his family wanted him. None of them even came to the trial; Lewis, being eight at this time, needed someone to support him. He soon became a Ward of the State. He never stayed with a family more than two weeks at a time. He constantly moved from school to school town to town, making it uneasy to fit in or make friends.
Even though Lewis didn’t see his father anymore, his life was still twisted from his experiences. It was hard for him to show emotion, or trust people. He lost motivation to try hard in college, and just stopped trying in general. He graduated from Clay Center High School with many basketball scholarships, but turned most of them down and ended up attending Central Community College. He flunked out first year. Lewis was not considered an alcoholic, but he was partying and drinking more than he should have. At this point he said he would never see his father ever again, he didn’t want to resurface old memories.
At one of the parties he went to, he met a girl named Amanda. Amanda was a tall, skinny, young lady, who had happened graduate from college with a masters in journalism. They thought they were in love, and a few months later, they announced their engagement to her parents. Amanda’s parents were both pastors at a local church. Amanda was raised as a very strict Christian, and at the time, Lewis didn’t believe in God. Amanda’s parents were not happy about their decision, but they got married anyway. Lewis became a member at Amanda’s church and started believing in God, though, he still had doubts. Lewis didn’t want to believe in God, because God never did anything to stop Lewis’s father from beating him. About twelve months later, they had their first daughter, Adeline. She was born weak and died two months later. Lewis and Amanda blamed this on God but Amanda’s parents had to teach them both that it was not his fault. Lewis told God he wanted a child, and eleven months later they had their second daughter, a healthy baby girl they named Lily.
July 3rd 2006, Lewis’s father called his son for the first time in many years. He asked if Lewis and his family would come to his firework show. Lewis nervously accepted, thinking of the possible risks for his family, and the next day they all went to where Lewis grew up. Lewis did not want to get there and have his dad hurt his family, but to his surprise, he was extremely kind to his family. But he was still uneasy, because that’s when his dad began drinking. A few hours later, he heard his dad tell Lily to get him a beer. Lily wasn’t raised like that so Lewis yelled at his dad and told him that his daughter wasn’t going to be drunk white trash like him and left with his family.
Soon after, Amanda and Lewis began having problems with their relationship. They pretended to love each other for Lily's sake, but she had noticed something was wrong. She knew it wouldn’t work out. Soon after, in the summer of 2013, he took Lily to Oregon to meet his mother. She wasn’t how Lewis remembered her; she had gotten remarried and had three daughters, all who had two sons. She was kind and loving, and they go to Oregon every summer. Lewis later in his life, opened his own business and Amanda worked at an old friends clothing store. Her parents see her every other week. The family still has many fights, but at least at the end of the day. They can go home to separate homes and feel safe and happy.