An Old River Lesson
"AN OLD RIVER LESSON"
while the woman I love is
making me wait for her time
to go out and play with her
family and friends that are
now making her happy, I took
a trip to the river. I laid
my blanket down on the grass
and looked up at the sky. I
was in front of the lake but
I didn't look much. I could
hear the ducks move and the
children play. I could smell
the food from the barbecues
nearby. turning over I saw an
old homeless couple on a
blanket with holes. they had
been beaten by the sun and
torn by life. you could tell
that they were in love. she
reached over attempting to
hand him a sandwich she had
made from items she collected
from the garbage. she opened
up a warm soda and poured it
into a plastic cup. she shook
him as if to say, "wake up
baby, wake up! time to eat."
he sat up, leaned in to kiss
her and ate. it was apparent
they had been through their
own version of hell. she had
never given up on him nor he
her. I've known many women in
my life who swore they were
happy with what influenced
their mind outside of who
they loved. I've seen many
men pretend they didn’t love
who they truly loved. today
by the river, I saw an old
couple beaten by the sun and
torn apart by life. I never
thought a woman without any
teeth and a man with three
strands of hair over his eyes
would teach me that love
could last even in the most
crazy of conditions. they had
made it, they had done some-
thing right. there I sat
broken hearted by the woman
from Padre Street. most men are
afraid of death because
they know it's coming, but
every woman is afraid of love
because they know at one
point it is real. I lay on
the grass and the woman I
love is out dancing and
singing and laughing and
fishing and eating and
conversing outside her home
when she says she hates
talking. she's enjoying
herself. "it's been so long"
as she told me. I stop and
think, had she got rid of her
fears and accepted love, she
would have stood with it
longer. when asked why by
those she calls friends and
family, she would have said
because it's something I've
never had and it's been so
long. that would’ve made all
the difference.
By: Chicano Eddie
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