Old Guns. Edit 2. billy, todd et al

[Pete Ak]

I've made some line by line comments below. Overall I like the idea and the poem is easy and enjoyable to read.

You are my comfort now, you have grown old with me.
Long ago, you were my gaurdian, but in this dark and familiar room,
Before I came to poetry development forums I would have felt fine about the mention of a 'dark and familiar room' but now I just wonder what it represents, where it is, etc...
my protection is as inconsequential as the death of a flower, the fall of a leaf,
or the sound of a gun after dark in screaming Columbian streets.
quite a contrast between the first 2 items of the list and the 3rd - I'm undecided as to whether it works because of the starkness of the contrast.
You are by my side and that is all I ever asked. Even when I was young
and stood, by choice, tall as a tree in a desert; visible, vulnerable and yet unafraid,
My image of desert trees is that they are stunted, ragged and largely leafless! My image may of course be incorrect but I guess I'm merely urging caution. One man's meat...
you were always close to me. I never told you that you were my strength;
but I held you. I caressed you. I stripped you down and put you together again.
Again I'm not sure about the stripping down image - it feels inconsistent with the strength you're talking about.
I knew you as well as blood. One day, and I say this to a friend,
if I live too long, you will be my comfort.
Here, I felt as if the end came rather quickly. As much as I like the poetry in the line "I knew you as well as blood" it isn't immediately clear how we get to know 'blood' let alone know it well. I'm also curious about the "if" it presupposes there are conditions under which the object person will NOT provide comfort