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Schroedinger's Vet
by Jon-Jacob F DealI guess I asked for it,
Walking into the gas station
Wearing this black baseball cap,
Three Army ribbons and "Iraqi Freedom Veteran"
Embroidered on the front.
I approach the clerk,
Proffering plastic.
Credit or debit?
Debit.
I swipe the card,
And while I'm looking down to enter my PIN,
He reads my hat.
Thanks for what you did for us over there in Iraq,
He says.
I think, it wasn't for you.
But what I say is,
It paid the bills.
He asks,
Were you injured or anything?
What do I tell him,
This tall kid with fair skin and blue eyes,
A wash of freckles spattered good-naturedly
Over the baby fat still clinging stubbornly to his cheeks,
Which look like they've never seen so much
As a nick from the end of a razor?
My favorite Jose Narosky quote,
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers?
No, but I gave it my best?
Not unless you count my mind?
But all I say is,
Nope.
Do you have to go back?
I look up.
Nope.
Well, have a good evening, Mr. Deal.
He read my debit card.
Not bad.
I wonder idly if that quickness
Would have been good for spotting IEDs.
But as I gather my things to leave,
I'm thinking about his last question.
I step into the Georgia dusk.
Do you have to go back?
He asked.
Ah, kid.
What makes you think I ever left? 05/17/2010 Posted on 05/18/2010
Copyright © 2024 Jon-Jacob F Deal
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by A. Paige White on 05/18/10 at 03:25 AM This is very well and powerfully written. Loved it. The ending gives me the shivers. Powerful. |
| Posted by Elle O'Connor on 05/18/10 at 06:09 AM I loved it. I hope you are ok. Truly. I hope you find a way to leave. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 05/19/10 at 01:47 AM I appreciated you sharing your inner thoughts - very moving. |
| Posted by Nanette Bellman on 05/19/10 at 05:58 AM As someone who is uneducated on the war over there, but still has an opinion of it, I probably shouldn't be commenting on this...but it's hard not too. I have been that gas station boy and thanked the decorated soldiers I've run into for what they do for me. For allowing me the ability to have a job that I often dislike or to go out and have dinner with friends or spend time with my family. But you're right. You didn't do it for me. You did it for you. And bravo for sharing. I too suffer from PTSD, if you need to talk about anything, don't hesitate to hit the message button. |
| Posted by Maria Francesca on 05/19/10 at 04:10 PM really well written and really honest in a way that isn't often seen...really great work. |
| Posted by Clara Mae Gregory on 05/20/10 at 01:11 PM Excellent writing.Outstanding expression with words--they painted this picture in my mind and left no questions. This piece says it all and with impact.Thank you,Mr.Deal. |
| Posted by Brett Shane on 05/21/10 at 12:32 PM oh snap. this is one of the best things i have ever read. i feel like disappearing every time someone says "thank you." when i lay awake thinking about it... i wonder how many of us never left. |
| Posted by Charlie Morgan on 05/21/10 at 05:42 PM ...a tome o' human dynamics, human psyche[which shows in this gloriously heavy piece] of the days, specially in war...i bow to you for your work?/manning-up, and then to top it off, you can write THIS about THAT in such a way...ten-hut, a poet enters the room. |
| Posted by Nicole D Gregory on 04/25/11 at 12:32 AM When truth is unmasked...we can't claim to not know why we do what we do... we still know right and wrong. And when you are thanked for doing what you have done for being a hero, paying the bills, or looking for a way out... a sincere heart only speaks the truth. Youth and sincerity quickly fade ~ let yourself be a hero once-in-a-while. You have tapped into your inner cynicism; but you have also nicely published a young persons recommendation of your humanity. ~N |
| Posted by Kristine Briese on 06/14/11 at 03:09 AM Very powerful and hard-hitting. An excellent poem. |
| Posted by Frankie Sanchez on 11/28/11 at 11:49 PM This is incredibly powerful. Thank you. For the obvious and for sharing this. |
| Posted by Bertram Sparagmos on 10/04/12 at 07:20 PM As an Iraq and Afghanistan vet, I can relate. What I saw during the invasion is still very much with me nine years later, clawing in the dark. |
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