“Burst of Joy”
( Storyline; first person)
by Hugh A Tague
Carried on the wings of my Thunderchief
High above the Earth’s surface
Below my feet a land divided
On the Asian Island chain
Communism creeps
The bombs on my belly
Loaded with freedom from afar
Fire of oppression finds me
Returned to the Earth alive
Received into the hands of the Devil
Held captive by the evil I came to destroy
Days turned to months then to years
The freedom I came to deliver
Never seemed more dear
I prayed for an end to it all
Stripped of all that I am and all that I know
Memories of my family and my home
What once was my light
Was now barely a glow
Will my feet ever touch free soil again
Two years before Saigon fell
I flagged the Hanoi Taxi
And I was Starlifted to freedom
But there was one final price to pay
Just days before my dream came true
I read a letter that tore my heart in two
My life’s love has moved on
She fell for another while I was gone
The burst of joy for my children rang true
But the hole in my heart I cannot undo.
Hugh A Tague's Poetry & Prose 