Grandpa’s House
[The ole Real House]

The house needed painting
Sun-blistered and flaking
Grandpa started to have us
BoysMike and I start
Doing some scraping

While he, pealed off the ole
Paint, and started painting

Just a humble wooden house
With several rooms, but

Strong enough to keep the
Winds and winter snows out,
How he loved that ole house!…

An’ his well-kept yard, which
Contained lilac bushes, and

Big shade trees; where birds
And squirrels livedseason
To season, scattered on

Branchesthey looked like
Play things (back in the 50s)

#807 8/18/05

Note by the author: “We all grew up together I suppose you might say, my brother and I, mom and grandpa, a few aunts in the beginning, all living in an extended family environment; that is how it felt anyhow. Although the house belonged to my grandfather, we all lived together; now it all seems so long ago, and what pops out of my mind is: I never did take a liking to painting houses after painting his a few times.”

From Iraq with Love

American’s most often are
Certain of what they want
From the world
In a large measure,
In charge:
Gold, machinery,
Symbols
It’s what it’s all
About

Shaving
Showering
Outfitting
Medications
Cosmetics
It’s what it’s all
About

Breakfast
Banquettes
TV’s and couches
Adolescents
Engagement rings
Thanksgiving’s:
Blessings, gratitude
(no secrets here)
It’s what it’s all
About

Family
Snow and rain
North by a highway
Dirt and mud
Children
Classmates
Cookies
Just beautiful
Thingsfreedom
To say and be
That’s the way it was meant
To be:

An’ then,
Along came a bullet:
No mercy
Your dead!…
Nothing more said.

#806 8/16/05

Note by the author: “I am not for or against the war in Iraq, for the most part; although I do believe America did do a great service for the world, and the Iraqi people by bringing down Saddam, a world demonic beast, from his throne, and perhaps it was worth the price, then and now; we are all counting the price right this minute, are we not [?] But is it worth it to continue? A pale question at best, now facing everyone in the country. There are wiser men than I up in Washington D.C., figuring these things out, and surely we do not know everything of what is in the background. But being in a war, I do know this: we won the war, it should be over, and we are not responsible to rebuild their whole country at the cost of taxing the American citizen to death: financially, resources, and our youth wise. I do pray that President Bush will bring our boys home. Enough is enough.”

See Dennis Siluk’s new book of poems “Spell of the Andes,” at any book dealer: http://www.amazon.com or http://www.bn.com