braggadocio Pinocchio  bragging   never sat well with himno matter its incitement it turned him off

Cassius ClayMuhammad Ali turned him off when he spouted  he followed Alis pronouncementsunderstood his advertisements  although he would rather have had him walk the walk that only Ali could and just keep his mouth shut

but America loves big mouths                  

he preferred quiet modesty   humility

why the bragging

                   an old man who should have known better  known better   that was his bad habithis habit of equating age with experience and it bumping up againstlapping at the quiet edge of wisdom 

he helped the old man with his cane helped him into his seat on the plane stowed his bag in the overhead 

he hadnt paid attention beyond the immediacy of the old man needs

then he saw

the old man wore a ball cap

he gulpedthought for a moment it might be a MAGA cap hed have to wash his hands  No

No
   it wasnt MAGA sounded like disease

No  the red cap read Korean Vet

Look-at-me it implied


You ought to thank me

So why are you so damn critical?

Im not critical All my uncles who were of age fought in World War Two

Not one of them was loud about being a veteran

Maybe with one anotherthey knew each other they were brothers-in-law before Pearl 

Maybe they talked around the picnic table over cold beers shots of Old Crow their cigarettes pipes cigars those ashes competing with fireflies in the summer night air

Maybe by their quiet demeanor if a hint dropped  the lid of a Pandoras box nudged not opened nudged  threatened   the acrid smell only they could smell feel the heat of distant fires pitchblack oily smoke all manner of living things buildings fields consumed and scribbled and deep in ash  whiteblue yelloworange spurts of pitch or fat

Their demeanor  their eyes hoodedtheir eyes suddenly listless  colour leaching becoming cold and gray

You didnt dare ask

Never asked

So I worry at open declarations  I worry theyre not honest

Why would you possibly imagine fraud?

Thats kind  Fraud 

Theyre lying 

Hell  my own father isnt honest

Their cap or jacket proclaims them vets But it isnt military issuethey arent quiet cold stamped coins of campaigns their commanding officers conferred to them

No.

No

And your father?

My father refers to himself as a Korean vet

He served stateside

He never saw action

But he’s still a veteran.

Then for that matter so is every civilian 

I think a veteran has been bloodied or blooded

I dont think if they havent  they can coopt being a veteran

Sitting on the bench isnt playing in the game

You’re pretty severe.

I dont think so 

Ask a real old veteran if you can find one

afternoon,  Thursday,  16  5. 19

1031,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  29  5. 19