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Thursday, March 15, 2012

WAR STORIES

by Alan Catlin

Operation Homecoming Troy Arts Center Panel
        10 March 2012

Thinking of high school,
of walking with Glenn Scharaldi
East Rockaway Class of ‘65,
soon-to-be,West Point Class of ‘69,
thinking of what a laid back,
intelligent, nice, non-confrontational
guy he was in line to be a second
looie, combat ground troop, Vietnam.
Thinking of seeing his name on
author’s list for his “Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder: A Guide to Healing,
Recovery and Growth.” Thinking of
Michael Casey, self-described doofus,
Yale Series of Younger Poets winner
early 70 for Obscenities and lines
from his poem “Bummer”
'If you have a farm in Vietnam
And a house in hell
Sell the farm
And go home.'
Thinking you can never go home
as long as there are wars to go to
and leaders to send soldiers
to fight them.


Alan Catlin has published numerous chapbooks and full-length books of poetry and prose, the latest of which, from Pygmy Forest Press, is Deep Water Horizon including several poems originally published in The New Verse News.
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