veteran. Rob and Ross were close because of all the stories and memories they shared. However, we moved away, trying to remain close, but got caught up with jobs and family, so they sort of drifted apart. One evening we received a phone call that Ross had taken his own life. My mind was filled with a lot of different thoughts and I sat down and wrote this poem." Rosalie Kissner |
"I Turned My Head"
One day I saw it happen,
But turned my head in fear.
It was like a bad dream
That was more than I could bear.
Many times I've reached out,
Wishing there was something I could do.
Because when something is eating at you,
You know it hurts me too.
You used to talk a lot more
And I used to listen more too.
The stories you told over and over again,
It got to be that my listening was just pretend.
No one could feel your feelings,
And it’s hard to hold back tears,
But I always thought I helped somehow
Through all the trying years.
The nights you tossed and turned
Never getting too much sleep,
I prayed somehow that you'd forget,
But only heard you weep.
The guns you heard and the people you saw
They were just more stories to me.
I guess I didn't realize
That I should have looked deeper into your eyes.
I thought I knew you like a book,
You should have shook me and said, "Hey look-
I'm hurting deep inside, you know",
But I never thought you'd get that low.
Many years have passed by now,
More than I can even count.
Tensions were at their peak,
And memories seemed to mount.
One day I saw it happen,
But turned my head in fear,
The noise I heard, I'll never forget,
And the look you had when our eyes last met.
The flowers I bring don't seem to be enough,
I should have really listened and been more tough.
One day I saw it happen,
And now, I turn my head in shame.
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