Hi,
It seems strange to call you Anti Dora! But I don't know any other, so:
Hi Anti Dora,
And welcome,
And this is a good read, faultless and simple IMHO.
With the Viet Nam reference (linked in with John Wayne) there's certainly a 
mood that draw's on an awareness of what that war did to the american 
consciousness (or this may just be me reading things into the poem, not 
getting things out of the poem!) - it makes me remember.
I like the phrase, "somewhere unpronouncable" too! And, "the son you never 
had..." is a fine way of adding depth. So the poem is both personal and 
individual (because it mentions a name!) yet universal. I like how you've 
done that!
Bob

>From: Anti Dora <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: New: To the ghost of Thomas Dean
>Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 15:01:20 +0100
>
>Long ago,
>watching the muddy Delta flow,
>you waited for Charlie,
>like John Wayne
>for John Ford’s Indians.
>You never came home again.
>
>Now, somewhere unpronounceable,
>the son you never had
>wonders about coming home,
>the when and how:
>body bag
>or walking wounded?

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