Homecoming Poem by Linda Straub

Linda Straub
Homecoming

It was a pink cotton dress
patterned with white daisies,
sleeveless with spagetti straps
that slid off the shoulders
like children who can’t sit still.

It was a navy blue uniform
with seargant’s stripes
and an adjustable belt
anchored on a slim waist,
below the purple heart.

It was a July day in 1969
at a suburban train station
outside of Philadelphia;
no longer “in country”,
now steppin’ on American soil.

It was a white corvair
with red bucket seats
and Dylan on the radio,
each turned up high
and playing for peace.

It was a warrior and his woman
driving by the school yard
where the band played,
but there was no parade–
just two hands exploring.

Linda Straub

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