After the Roll

 

John Wayne, our foster father, raised

a generation of boys fathered by men

who lived to prove they were cut

from the quiet man’s cloth—tight lipped,

hard living with a swagger. Like the Duke,

they all went to war and took out brigades

of Krauts and Japs with a few grenades

and starter pistols. They never cried

or bled much. When they got winged,

drop-dead gorgeous nurses patched

them up. They nursed their pain

with liquor and proved to each other

that they were men among men

who never cried or said I love you.

They went through life poker faced

except when anger got the best of them

which they expressed with a good,

Why I oughta!  followed by a fist or two.

These men kept their secrets, their battles,

their wars to themselves until the final credits

rolled. And we, their sons, are left wondering

just what a best boy is supposed to do.

Alan Berecka is a librarian who lives near Corpus Christi, Texas. His poetry has been published various outlets including the Christian Century, Ruminate, The Blue Rock Review and Right Hand Pointing. He has authored two collections of poetry: The Comic Flaw (NeoNuma Arts, 2009) and Remembering the Body (Mongrel Empire Press, 2011). For those interested in more information about the poet and his work, check out www.alanberecka.com