Surprising God
Bob Hanson
You come home from the war... you are different now.
How does one surprise God?
I have heard the door or gate is not locked; it is always open.
Every day I think of Mike,
he told me about the river boat he was on,
the murky river water, many small boats alongside,
action all around. He was a sailor on a ship,
what the hell was he doing on a river boat, he often asked, even now.
Can’t remember the name of the river,
but it was Nam…
You come home from war… you are different now.
No one seems to know that, “but glad you're back, bro,” they say.
Yes, you are home, but then there is the addiction, not of killing but of forgetting.
The time comes to report, remembering one’s service, out in the woods, away from it all.
There is that standing at attention, hair and beard trimmed, at muster for the last time…
There was a strange silence afterwards,
How does one surprise God?
I have heard the door or gate is not locked; it is always open.
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Bob Ko Shin Hanson is a writer, poet, and activist. He is a retired clergy and community advocate. He is a U.S. Navy Chaplain, Veteran of the Vietnam era, an active/inactive reservist and a facilitator for Warrior Writers workshops and programs. He is also an active member of Veterans for Peace and active in current social justice movements.