Poem - Laredo
70
For Laredo; where my Father lives.... forced from my childhood home in 1970 I arrived in a flood of tears... and now... it is in my heart...
I was crying when I met you
My tears constantly flowing
An arrival steeped in sorrow
But a sweet memory began growing
You are the world
In a land called nowhere
A smile always to give
Your heart ready to share
So easy to live
Today a precious moment
Tomorrow, never a worry
Your fears always silent
I never wanted you
I did not belong
My heart now yearns
My love so strong
Always looking away
I now return your gaze
The land of my youth
Please accept my praise
It's not about manana
It's about today
Something that never ends
Something that never goes away
You listen to me
Showing how you care
It seems so important to you
Your love is everywhere
No beach of sand
No majestic mountain
Just human emotion
Bursting like a fountain
What one cannot see
One can feel
What one can see
Is love so real
I drive for miles
To experience your charm
The flatland all around
Like a sweet woman on my arm
You take your time
You help a stranger
You look into my eyes
And take me to your manger
So humble and full of dignity
Your women so beautiful and strong
Your men so valiant and proud
How could I have been so wrong?
Please accept my thanks
And my apology
I will be forever grateful
That you are a part of me
I once ran away
Now I run to you
Take me back Laredo
Tell me you love me too
Faith, family, friendship
The values that come from you
Recibe un abrazo fuerte
Por que te quiere mucho
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I am very moved. I still have strong connections to my childhood home, and I will always love it.
Beautiful!
In terms of images, I think this is one of the best of your works I have read. Very touching, warm, real. I can feel the both the young person and the adult in you. Wonder filled.
Vern
To quote Dorothy.
There,s no place like home.
Beautiful work, I too look forward to "home"
Glad you came to terms with your childhood home. Sounds like a nice place. Too hot for me, but I wouldn't mind a visit. Your writing is poetic and concise as always. Well done. Cheers.
Very nice tribute to your home Poet. We humans are an adaptable lot. We both wander and attach and settle, making where-ever we find ourselves "home".
I liked this very much it was very well written... as all your thoughts are.
Thumbs up to this one as well.
Laurie
Your poetry flows like a stream of water, it is endless and ever flowing until the end. You are truly a great poet!
To all... thank you... back in 1970 my parents told me we were moving to Laredo, Texas. I was eleven years old at the time and we were living in Tallahassee, Florida where I was born. Overall my time in Florida was wonderful and I was devastated at having to move. I still remember the day we left watching my childhood friends running behind us waving goodbye... Walter Shiver... Gary Guinn... Robert Mauch...Bobby Freeman... I still remember their names and to this day the image of children that I would never see again summons a heavy heart. Three days later we arrived in a strange world - Laredo. I cried everday for a month until I made a real friend. Then slowly I came to grips with the fact that we would never return to Florida. Now many people have suffered far worse than this but it is something that never has left my mind. I remember listening to the song Close to You by The Carpenters that summer and choking back tears as I thought of my friends in Florida. This is the meaning behind the initial line in the poem: "I was crying when I met you." I had bitter feelings of Laredo and left gladly when I went to college. I turned down job offers upon graduation as I considered a return to Laredo as the sign of defeat.... And now... years later when I witnessed the locals hugging one another at the grocery store; lingering as they happily visited it suddenly dawned on me that my home was Laredo. And I am here now and tomorrow I will drive around and as I say in the poem... I will witness pure human interaction in a place where the lack of natural beauty is instead replaced by a shrine to family and love... in other words, the things that matter...
God... I'm such a sap...
No, you're not. You sound like a very sensitive person, one who appreciates the truly beautiful things in life and knows how to express those feelings.
@quildon - I guess my macho side cringed as I hit post... I just know how I feel and when you write about things that are a part of your life it becomes easier to express..... thank you for such kind words.
Mark, I will keep this poem with me always. You express these words so eloquently in a way that I never could. I am sure this poem will hit home to so many who were not born in Laredo, into the families who have deep roots there. Both of our moves occured around the same time to a small apartment complex on Bartlett Ave. My heart was always in another place. A place that I called home. I would dream of being back in West Texas almost daily and as soon as I graduated I too left town. Now looking back Laredo was my home. I just didn't realize it. The people in Laredo know what family and friends are all about and now I understand. What a great culture I was able to experience. If only in our youth we could have thought about "today" and not "manana" maybe we would not have run away. Thanks Mark I will share this poem with my family who will also understand. Dana
Hi Dana. I remember those days on Bartlett. The Loma Linda apartments I believe. When you new me back then I was going through my own private hell/depression. I was devastated and cried every day alone in my room that summer because I missed my friends back in Florida so badly. But now as you saw in the poem I have come to realize how I love Laredo and the people that I grew up with. I know it's not for everyone but I believe that in some weird way the lack of natural beauty such as the ocean or whatever brings the people and families closer together because all we had/have are each other. Thank you for your nice remarks and its great to hear from you... it's unreal: 41 years ago we met... I'm thinking about it now and I remember vividly how I felt...
I am glad you are able to write about that time in your life. Hope to see more of your work in the future.
41 years WOW Good to be in touch again. Take Care.
Click on The Suburban Poet on this website... that's all my stuff.....
Enjoyed reading your poem. With your permission Id like to share this with my students.
Sure that would be great! Are you in Laredo?
¡Viva Laredo!
Gracias Senor Sollers!
Apostle Jack Level 2 Commenter 16 months ago
Very good.