Twitty overage cheerleader in the baby blue uniform
that shouts "Shoot me!"
What the fuck are you doing in a war zone, Sugar?
If you can't start an IV, get out of my way.
This is no shake-n-bake war where little girls can help.
We need nurses, and they send Barbie dolls.
My civilian sister, thirty years later
our ovaries have shriveled,
but our memories are bright
with the flash of rockets and the splash of blood.
Age now grants us the gift of time
to talk of boys whose time ran out,
of futures that never happened
and heartaches that did.
But I never knew you knew all that.
So let's sit on the porch and drink lemonade
playing double solitaire and talking at last.
You show me your war and I'll show you mine.
©1996 by Dusty
Originally appeared in INCOMING!, Vol. I, Issue III. Hawk's
Nest Publishing, 1996. Ed. Barbara Menghini Whitmarsh.
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
|
United States |
United Kingdom |
|
Germany |
France |
 |
|
 |
 |
| Page last updated August 22, 2001 | |