Cotopaxi, Ecuador (summer 2012)

Friday, November 21, 2014

The Vietnam War

Westmoreland went south
Looking for his compass
Which he had never read;
He hired an aide with glasses
Who couldn't speak the language,
So they signed together with their hands.
In the growing darkness
They looked for a light
At the end of a tunnel:
What they found instead
Was a toilet.
They wanted an air conditioned room
On the uppermost floor
Of the Rex Hotel
But none was available,
So they demolished the building.
When the smoke settled
They threw their hands up in exasperation
And claimed victory.
A crowd of astonished onlookers
Gathered their press passes
And headed to the five o'clock follies
Where a final briefing was in progress.
They took notes and used the undamaged toilet.
Later, everyone gathered at the roof-top bar for a drink
When they arrived home the following day,
they expected a parade.
They never found one.



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Jessica in Madrid, Spring 2006

Jessica in Madrid, Spring 2006
daughter is empowering herself