Heaven's Bridge from Hell

by Larry Chamberlin   Oct 25, 2016


It's a small bridge over a ditch
from the parking lot
to a soccer field;
decorative more than useful:
if it rained enough to fill the ditch
they wouldn't be playing soccer anyway.

Yet I always cross over it
late at night with my dog
on our evening walks
and I think of the young man
who stood here at sunset
mouthed his father's rifle
and pulled the trigger of his life.

The scientist I am sees
wood, pavement and concrete,
surrounded by bushes and grass
and wrappers cluttering the walk
without any residue of grief.

The young altar boy in me
feels the pain of a stranger;
sees a shadow weeping
in a ditch dried with blood,
his future kicked away
like a ball lost in traffic,
burst from his life,
when the bullet exploded
all the dreams he couldn't hold inside,
the nightmares that escaped.

The scientist looks around
at clouds covering the moon
understands that molecules
returned to the cosmos recycled
while nothing remains here
but traces left to be absorbed.

The altar boy shivers
as he crosses the Spot;
mentally genuflects in respect
and prays to St Michael
to defend him in battle.

7


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Latest Comments

  • 7 years ago

    by Milly Hayward

    Larry parts of this especially the first stanza reminded me of the park where I used to walk my dog. I liked the feel of this and the contrasting view points Milly x

  • 7 years ago

    by Brenda

    Larry, such a sad write but I love how you wove the scientist side and human side together and reminding us of how frail our lives are. No matter how analytical we try to be knowing what happened right at that spot reminds us that we couldn't and shouldn't shut off our feelings. Well done-

  • 7 years ago

    by Golden AnGel Rhapsodist

    Oh what a sad story. .but nice and neat words injected to it..

    5/5
    Gel

  • 7 years ago

    by Em

    Larry this is magical but so very sad. What a telling tale of a young, suicidal boy.
    I guess when we see things like this they stick with us throughout life.

    Em

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