you lay quietly old friend...

You lay quietly
old friend,

under the earth

a continent away – all bone

and spirit – anguished -

part of my history

woven into memory;

Dear departed one,

Ingrid of yesterday,

your sister – you are

Father to no one,

unmarried -

friend to many,

hung up on the rafters

next to your father,

and last seen as your mother

by me

in front of a daytime TV show,

dead in a way - not from alcohol

or suicide like your sister,

but I think,

from loneliness –

or terror.

Not finding in Mexico,

what you were looking for

in California – or elsewhere

and never found.

It was your future,

your passion,

your reason for living that was

somehow lost.

And so – you died

looking -

you gave up – rolled out of bed

early one morning,

naked -

with nothing and no one

next to you that cared.

And now – six months

Or years later,

you lay still as dry bones

buried in an unmarked

grave in Tijuana, Mexico -

old Mexico of memories

where we went together

as young recruits,

to kick up our heels

lose our money

and our virginity

but never our sanity.

My old friend – Andrew

U.S. Marine, soldier of fortunes,

buddy, comrade in arms and peace – I miss you.

The fog rolls in over

Morro Bay and thirty-five years of memories

creep over the marsh to me.

They steal along the lush wetland –

as soft as Sydney’s kisses.

I miss your wide generous smile,

your great boisterous laughter,

your love of beautiful women,

and bass guitars.

The fog and the quiet here

is as thick as death,

while you lay quietly Andrew

death itself -

under the earth –

A world away

all bone and spirit

and wonderful, tearful, sad memories –

a U.S. Marine – we have yet to bring home.

J.E. Dorsey – aka Doug Claybourne - For Andy Bill Brudvig my pal who joined the Marines with me and  joined me in Vietnam in 1968-69. Died August 1, 1999. Revised 06.20.11 Andy Bill Brudvig – Notes 09/10/02 - Copyright © Doug Claybourne 2011. All Rights Reserved.