the mundane

           is illuminatingif you look 

his cats indoor and out had finished their canned foodhe always thought of them as C-rationsnever the newer nomenclature MCI-rations(Military Combat Individual)  not that hed ever been in the service or would  he wasnt one to be coerced into becoming Government-Issued(GI Joe boys -- GIs -- Property of the Government)  while someone might look at the US government and see a benevolent force beneficent  he understood why he was taughtrather forced to learn the history he did in school – although not without repercussions  he called it his indoctrination – the slaughters and murders its different regimes perpetuated were better left unknown to the people who Rahrahed hailed the Flag and sang the Star-Spangled Banner

he wasnt enticed

as it was when his induction notice reached his parents house he was long gone

virtually(cutehuh) he was drawn a low number during the televised Prime Time BINGO Draft

not three weeks after graduation he bought a stationwagon provisioned it with C-rations that a friends older military brother had procured(theres that lingo – he had it down pat) for him(the elder brother thought they were for his brother)  and off he went to disappear into the muck and mire of America mailing postcards home from places hed been only after he left them  Iowan postcards from Mankato Minnesota Mankato from Sioux Falls Sioux Falls from the Black Hills the Black Hills from Casper Casper from Miles City 

he bypassed big cities and kept to the personable blue highways where he stuck out like copper among silvered parishioners  fortunately he had the gift for gab(polished by debate team) and was able to pull out credible lines in a moments notice(honed by which walking and reading)

he worked odd jobs for cash barter or food never stayed too long in one place and to those on the scentwhy he wasnt in the service  he met their audacity with lies  he was either on sabbatical or knew enough French to play a visiting Frenchman speaking in broken EnglishHow do you say

he played his White mans carda sleight of hand that only coloured people truly knew and could appreciate  “But of course the world consists only of absurd ideas” BermhardNO  Bernhard  to the best of his knowledge only he called him Bermhard  “To shake people up (denounce  scandalise  just plain get on peoples nerves), that’s my real pleasure” 

thats how he went place to place to place across America

inside of a year he determined that America wasnt worth dying for  at least not in Vietnam

he went homehe refused induction  he didnt step forward(a friend inside the miltary told him if he wanted to fight it to fight it from outside – his friend wrote him from the military prison Fort Leavenworth   Kansas)   Christ Kansas
the beating Heartland  rolling wheatfields   to his mind wheat was only thing that saved the state from the Atomic and Nuclear devastation Nevada endured  littered with subsidence craters

the military harassed him 

had they truly harrassed him he might have skipped to Canadaplenty of lakes in The Land of 10,000 Lakes Minnesota  he wrote letters with a friend in Canada  but the anti-war protests where growing stronger with more and more bodies as more and more young mens bodies were being return to the States for burial

the fantastic Domino Theory was eroding

he respectfully(thats what he wrote  littering his letter respectfully respectful) submitted letters declaring the military provided him no inducement to possibly become wormmeal for an illegal war precipitated by the questionable Gulf of Tonkin incident  reminding themquoting Navy Commander James Stockdale who flew a F8 Crusader above the destroyers “. . . there was nothing there but black water and American firepower”(lamentable  he was sure)

mundane

he understood his experiences were likely mundane to anyone else

as mundane perhaps as the interaction he had with a young mentally-handicapped man who approached him in Kmart and wished him a good day  You have good day  he extended his childlike hand to him

he took his handshook it and replied Thank you  And you have a good day as well please

You  Noyou you have good day 

Yes  Thank you  Im trying  And please  you also have a good day

And you you  You have good dayYou have good day  

he said nothing more and nodded his thanks

the young man moved off  he was a bit agitated irritated  prior to coming over to him he asked a female Kmart employee for a blue shirt like the employee wore  a casual Polo three buttons at the throat

the employee apologised and told him that the shirts were meant only for Kmart employees

You did not buy

No  The shirts are provided us as part of our uniformif you will

Did not buy

No  We didnt buy them

Gimme shirt I do not buy either

Theyre meant only for employees

the young man would never be anyones employee

I do not buy gimme shirt too please

he had an unlined untroubled brow 

he was earnest

he was persistent

after several more go-arounds the clerk suddenly excused herselfher hand to her headset there was no one there  she said Yes   Yes   Ill be right there  she turned to the young man  Im sorry I dont wish to be rude but I have to go

  

standing off to the side was the young mans mother or handler  she had not interrupted or interjected

the salesclerk gave her a look as she passed

it might as well have been a snowflake fallen on the face of a quiet lake

it melteddisappeared  it was of no consequence or impression

she let it be what it was  a simple transaction between two people

a rather beautiful mundane encounter

1129,  Monday,  23  10. 17

1122,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  25  10. 17