The Poets in my Heart

Disclaimer1

I borrowed the title for this story2

from a Stevie Nicks 'Fleetwood Mac'3

line 'Sara you're the poet in my heart.'4


It was the Summer of 1955.5

I was a 12 year old snot nosed kid when6

Darryl Steel (18) talked Ross, (14) and me7

into going to see Bonnie Serchel '15' at 8

the Deconess hospital in Billings, Mont.9

I now find it odd that the most 10

looked down upon people in town, Darryl11

and his dad, had this kind of character. 12

There was graffiti denouncing both of 13

them on every public restroom wall in14

town.15

Bonnie Serchel was the lone survivor16

of her family when they ran into an oil17

tanker head on. They put the mangled18

wreck by the court house with a sign saying19

'THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! in front of it.20

We took off in Darryl's dorky 21

looking old 40's something model green22

car that reminded me of a turtle.23

We got to Billings before visiting24

hours was over, and found poor, pretty25

Little Bonnie looking lonely in her little26

hospital room, where we spent a 27

couple of minutes looking at each other28

in sad eyed bewilderment.29

Then Steel walked over to her30

and said something to her. I didn't hear31

what it was but it was only three or four32

words long, then we left.33

A few minutes later, Darryl turned34

his old car in between five sets of railroad35

tracks and drove about a quarter mile 36

down the middle before he tried to get37

off them and got hung up on the rails. He38

left it there, a sacrafice to the train God,39

and then Darryl said goodbye and 40

walked away into the darkness. I never41

met or heard from him again after that.42

I am of the mind that poor Bonnie43

never walked out of that room alive 44

Her head looked real funny, 45

and I heard it got ran over by the car46

in the wreck.She was such a quiet, sad47

eyed girl. Her memory haunts me.48

Oh Bonnie-o49

Where are you going50

To go-le-o51

What are you going52

To do-le-o?53

Ross and me started walking the54

45 miles back to our town ,45 miles North55

of Billings, and mid-morning the next day56

we got a ride with a guy driving an oil57

tanker??? He took us back to town.58

My family moved to Spokane 59

shortly thereafter, and I found out about60

ten years later that Ross shot himself61

in his woodshed outside his Wyoming62

home. Nobody knew why.63

( Here are some other poets in my heart:64

Sarann, (16) (Baltimore 1963) Wanda Kiner, 65

Devie, The Goffenas, The Sandvicks, (leonard66

was a joy) The Vukiches, The Blisses, etc.67

etc.etc. The McPhersons, My Uncle Donald,68

My Uncle Cyrus, (A turret gunner in World69

War 11) Delpha Mills, my sociology teacher,70

Terrence Kelly my lit teacher-------------71

Jesus is definitely in the mix---------------72

my brothers Les and Dan, and especially73

my mom and Dad. All the servicemen,74

living and dead, who fought and died 75

so I could write what I want.76

Many cows, hogs, turkeys, chickens, dogs, cats77

and trees etcetera etcetera, etcetera. All78

the above are a part of me and others too79

numberous to mention are a part of my80

experience and contribute to my poor81

attempts at writing poetry. I have lived82

a life of great passion.83

l84

By mystic drifter 85