By Wayne Fowler The Homecoming “What are you thinking about”, said the replacement kid? “Just the horrors of the past and the awful things I did.. I can never go home and face them again, I know this very well That day when I looked in the mirror, I knew everyone could tell Even with a wife and child waiting for me so very long I had become a killing machine, to survive life’s wrong The numbness and a lack of feeling shown so very clear Only a prayful feeling, to end this nightmare was near As the airplane circled to land, I could see the angry crowd below No foxhole to jump into now, absolutely no place to hide, to go “Baby killer, baby killer”, Oh! how the truth hurts so much Limp from the plane, never to explain, or be given a crutch Tossed back into society, so scared that reaction is slow Grateful to feel pain at least, and be allowed to just go Can’t go home just yet, still afraid of this world that I landed in Someday these feelings will leave and maybe, just maybe then. POEM INDEX