Vietnam/Sydney: 1969

so many body bags
               bloody bags

so much longrange TV news
so? so? so what?  Cold gravy.

and
that grey line
those GI’s
Johnnycumarchinghome againhuzzahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhh
                      POK         Pok          Pkkkkkk          paketta          pakkkeeetttttttaaaaaaaaaaa:
WHANGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
                   !!!!!!! Shit !!!!!!!!!Fuck!!!!!!!!!
                                                                       !!!!!!!! !!!! !!!!      !        !   ,,,       .,,     O, Jeez       , AW

CHRIST,   my
                           fucking gg g              g-g-g-gutsssssssssssssss
                                                                                               ssss   ssssssss

filing by me (green as grass)
waiting for a strikebound DC-8
Sydney Airport
1969

wellspent R & R
                           used scumbags
                                                    crewcuts

walking
single
file
I saw

to die

light from Saturn
   (from Flight Path)

baby sounds  clicks  whorfs  chuckles  yells  all
of our language begins with a cry   last night
from deep space in telescopes at Mount Chabon
Observatory Oakland  light  thirty seven light
years in the making finally made it to my eyes
and yes my sweet papoose this is where we
really are  traced by the patterns of great stars
watched by planets  Jupiter  Mars  patrolled
by Saturn and her wedding rings on the very
night we behold her face   all of knowledge
resides in light  all of beauty when ignorance
lifts  on a sleep-deprived San Ramon Sunday
which on this part of this blue planet happens
to be a day for fathers  yes papoose this is a
great igloo  there are powerful people here
we know this from our time amongst them
I have seen their fearful weapons but there
are weaknesses in the walls    now it is time
for me to go  fly back south to my own people
leave these summer feeding grounds  follow
the trail of brother godwit  leaving in your
mother’s kitchen three most worshipful
paeonies  their gorgeous fleshly faces
opening lips as if to speak
of our father making                                                         

©Jeffrey Paparoa Holman