{"id":1215,"date":"2022-11-16T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T00:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pensivejournal.com\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2022-11-15T23:27:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T04:27:07","slug":"east-river-after-a-long-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pensivejournal.com\/poetry\/east-river-after-a-long-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"East River, After a Long Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

A drunk vet\u2014<\/span>1<\/span><\/i>st<\/span><\/i> Marine Regiment,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Persian Gulf<\/span><\/i>\u2014homeless by the smell,<\/span><\/p>\n

Has shuffled up to me. He says his dad died<\/span><\/p>\n

Killing gooks, so he went over to kill<\/span><\/p>\n

Sand rats. <\/span>We stuff pork balls in their<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Mouths. Keeps them outta heaven.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

East River is metallic this morning,<\/span><\/p>\n

The breeze makes meshes on its skin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The early ferry is making its way across<\/span><\/p>\n

And a speedboat rips the river a new spine.<\/span><\/p>\n

I watch his face\u2014and mine\u2014get blown\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To pieces in the churn and froth.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was here once, half of me<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leaning out over the guard rail. I knew (or\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoped, or feared) I could simply tip into\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That silver, roiling body and be freed<\/span><\/p>\n

Of all struggle, with only a few seconds<\/span><\/p>\n

Of regret. <\/span>Yo, you want proof? Look,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m still carrying shrapnel<\/span><\/i>. He rolls up<\/span><\/p>\n

His pant leg and shows me his dark scar.<\/span><\/p>\n

He asks for cash. I hand him a pair of tens.<\/span><\/p>\n

He digs into his shabby jacket, pulls out<\/span><\/p>\n

A pack of smokes and shakes out two.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We lean on the rail and smoke. A flock<\/span><\/p>\n

Of squawking schoolboys flies off the ferry.<\/span><\/p>\n

The M14 arrives with a groan<\/span><\/p>\n

And jackhammers start pounding the street.<\/span><\/p>\n

I watch a cormorant stab the river\u2019s belly<\/span><\/p>\n

For a fish. My friend has forgotten me.<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes are shut tight, he mumbles<\/span><\/p>\n

To someone only he can see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I think back to a short-sleeved shirt<\/span><\/p>\n

I once saw floating here, how the river<\/span><\/p>\n

Handled it with such care, turning it\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over and inside out, endlessly washing<\/span><\/p>\n

The checkered cloth with its grey hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A drunk vet\u20141st Marine Regiment, Persian Gulf\u2014homeless by the smell, Has shuffled up to me. He says his dad died Killing gooks, so he went over to kill Sand rats. We stuff pork balls in their Mouths. Keeps them outta heaven.   East River is metallic this morning, The breeze makes meshes on its skin….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"issue":[11],"coauthors":[255],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEast River, After a Long Absence | Pensive Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pensivejournal.com\/poetry\/east-river-after-a-long-absence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"East River, After a Long Absence | Pensive Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A drunk vet\u20141st Marine Regiment, Persian Gulf\u2014homeless by the smell, Has shuffled up to me. 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