proximate to the Admiralty Islands
the waters run deep
the ships sunk
sailors drunk
on a weekend pass or out of fright
and the tattoo inks bleed on a young man's arm
scratching a short story between the lonely bicep and wide-eyed homesickness.
his Mother calls
Dad rises from his seat and sets the course of a radio dial
Rita Hayworth
Veronica Lake
something to be fighting for
in the South Pacific of the second world war
northwest of Guadalcanal
IronBottom Sound
the Japanese navy
Rabaul
Bougainville
cursing Marines and young medical personnel busy on the beach
dreams of home cooking
the smell of real gravy
night engagements between destroyers and those being destroyed
oil-slick foamy seas and USN guns firing smoky blasts.
Mother reads the morning paper and cries
Dad just shakes his head and adjusts his brown tie:
they look at each other and wonder why?
in the South Pacific of 1942
the ocean was blue.
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