A kaleidoscope of form and feeling,
we tumbled and moseyed
strutted and straggled
down the canyons of LaSalle Street:
the ragtag remnants of our kick-ass generation
sporting tattered pieces of decades-old uniforms
that didn't quite button over brazen beer guts,
bearing mementoes from lockers and basements:
patches and ribbons, medals and buttons,
boots and battle flags, formaldehyded pride.
We flaunted ourselves before the world
exuberant as the pups we once had been
exultant as if we had returned victorious
celebrating our brashness, hallowing our survival,
snubbing our noses at meanness of spirit.
We arose like specters of a time-misted battle,
we civil war veterans of the shattered Sixties
whose uniforms failed to capture nuance of allegiance
saluted the hippies, the yippies, the yuppies,
doughboys and jarheads marching abreast,
the rednecks and brothers, the chicanos and women,
the eagle braves, kiwis, a ROK or two.
Popping corks on emotions too long fermented,
kissing and making up with the world,
forgiving and forgetting, remembering and reminding,
welcoming ourselves home
welcoming ourselves home
©1995 by Dusty
Originally appeared in INCOMING!, Vol. I, Issue II. Island
Poets, 1995.
Ed. Barbara Menghini Whitmarsh.
Read "Hello David"
Return to Dusty's Poetry Index.
Return to Dusty's Home Page
My Vietnam Related Websites:
Women in Vietnam
~ Not only nurses served . . .
Dusty's Home Page
~ Poetry and prose by a woman who was a nurse in Vietnam
Emily's
Poetry ~ By a Red Cross Donut Dolly
Battle Dressing ~ The Journey of a Nurse in Vietnam
Tim O'Brien's Home Page
~ National Book Award Winner and Americal Vet
Shrapnel in the Heart
~ The most moving book you will read on Vietnam
The
Irish on the Wall ~ An effort to locate the Irish who died in Vietnam
Project
Hearts and Minds ~ Help put Viet Nam back together
All About Vietnam
~ An annotated bibliography of books about Vietnam for sale thru Amazon
Worldwide!
Photos from a Holts' Military History Tour
~ My trip to
Vietnam, February 1998
Illinois
Vietnam Women's Memorial ~ Honoring all the Illinois women who served
My Other Websites:
Chicago
Theatre Z - A ~ This is the best theater town in the country!
Writers
Theatre of Chicago ~ And this is the best theater in town
Literature
of the Korean War ~ Don't let the literature be forgotten
Poetry
of the First World War ~ Owen, Hardy and others
Samuel
Pepys ~ One of my favorite authors
Gil
Thorp ~ THE Coach
Maybe
Later . . . ~ My Creative Nonfiction
Chi-COW-go
~ Cowz plus Commentary (this used to be a cow town)
Graham
Fulton, Scottish Poet ~ Charles Manson Auditions for the Monkees
Soccer
Literature ~ I'm a fan and I read
O'Leary
Lantern ~ Fire! Fire! Fire!
Other Important Websites:
PreviewPort.com
~ Connecting Authors and Writers Worldwide
Remember
Oklahoma City ~ Civil Service and Military Employees will never forget
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