The Vanisher: A Reading Poem

It is a case: From Nineteen Sixty-Eight
Had abandoned his family behind;
The bills, kept piling up with little income;
When he caved under post-war pressure
He simply couldn't; handle the 'game' no more,
And had planned to opt out for a while,
Or pressure was getting to him at his job
Bills piling up with no good promotions,
First thought of this in Nineteen Sixty-Five.
Not easy he was torn and loved his kids:
But unhappy, could no more serve the 'man',
Nor was his wife really happy back then.
But who could one turn too; was almost no support,
And thought this was the only solution.

It was his insecurity: At root
Driven by something lacking in himself;
The bus station; where he started plays a role;
When it was thought he escaped by airplane
May be a female figure; guided him,
And his only regret is his children,
Or he took a couple photos of them
Cashed out some stocks, or bonds or life savings,
The only transactions I can vision.
Not so he found employment right away:
Unemployed at first, lived off his savings,
But he didn't touch his son's college funds.
As for his wife; she's tried to declare him dead since,
And collect money but without success.

It was so long ago: Still in this realm
But at the time it was an adventure;
He felt free, the East comes up but not for sure;
When almost he took a look at himself
Living in hotels; on hash, fried eggs and beans,
I see something with working with his hands,
Or rather a simpler more 'plain' existence
In touch with himself and taking up art,
His former life, at the back of his mind.
Not so reminiscing about his past:
Wouldn't recognize, the world he left,
Nor would most recognize him at this point.
Perhaps it's better this way; let the past be gone,
And he is still alive but in ill health.
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Poetry performance. A fictional reading on a 'vanisher'. A cold case and a look at the possible darker side of the post-war dream.  There have been a few 'vanishers' in recent history, people who opt to leave everything and disappear without a trace.  Each have their own reasons.  Cold Tarot reading while gazing down into a crystal ball.

Written in 'Blank Verse' format, three parts or three paragraphs.

(19:09)