The Simple Word Poetry

I have taken a vow. I have taken a vow to learn all that I can. To turn myself into a better and learned man. The days spent aimlessly wandering, amiss, A passage through time full of frivolity, unwieldy. Six long years wasted on a love that did not exist. Hours spent glued, entranced, full of tension and screaming. Where did it get me? Wishing for new meaning. My parts are greater than the sum that you see. A teacher, a preacher, a writer, that is me. I have swam alone and weathered the jagged edges of her rocky shores, conquered the storm that  once left me  weakened and longing for more. The songs of a summer, confidence, a boost, the beauty desired by all the men, yes she became mine, yet if only for a month, my heart was goosed. The saying goes that as we grow older our parents grow wiser. I know of one for whom that is true, while the other will forever remain anonymous, a loser. Mistakes, yes it's those that we learn by. Study the history before giving it a try. Before I go

I am an aged man, the gray of my hair protrudes from under my dirty hat and sullies my beard. My knees betray me. War will do that to a man. Damn Vietnam. Damn it all to hell. I am a Vietnam vet.  The streets are my home now. I traded one war for another.  The daily struggle that America ignores. The street corner is my rice field and mud-soaked trench. I have no quarrel with the passersby on the street, just like I had no quarrel with them Vietcong.  Each car that passes by, I know they see me standing there, sign in hand, but do they really "see" me? I know they do not "see" me for who I am, a desperate human being, a hungry and homeless human being, but do not hold that against me. For I could be you one day. To them, I am a nuisance, a stain on civilization. Yet, I fought for your civilization. Do not admonish me when I say "good day." Do not curse me under your breath. I am all that you are, maybe more, even if you are unable to "see" this f