soldier

       take out its I

                    solder

thats wha he gets for playing with words

solder -- a low-melting alloy  careful he was trying hard not to read into it  a low-IQ annoyer especially one based on lead or tin  used for joining less fusible metals 

take out its I

             beat the snot out of it until it lets go of its egoconforms to the desired army ant instinct  not to reasonnot to question  obey 

                  walk in lockstep  walk in goosestep 

nope 

      he missed the appeal

hell never forget his brother  then a recently enlisted indoctrinated jarhead returning home from basic training thinking – maybe he should have believed – thinking he could take apart his older brother 

                                                                                   they had a fistfight on the front lawn  they meant to have it in the backyard but push came to shove and as he learned and knew  if a fights inevitable get in the first punchhis brother beat him to it  he wouldnt have hit him from behind so turning to lead them into the backyard it was a glancing blow off his left cheekbone  had he turned left as was his usual his kidbrother probably would have dropped himcaught him turning into the punch

all HELL broke loose 

                    his little sister raced through the front door into the house to fetch their mother to break it up

before she made it outside he had his brother inverted and was bouncing him on his head on the lawnLET HIM GO! she screamed 

          it was a terrified screamshe was right to scream because it was probably the only thing he could have heard maybe he was listening for it he flopped him onto his back in case his mother needed to give him mouth to mouth to resuscitate him 

                 it wouldnt be the first time  it was the last

the Marines did a mighty good job of removing the I from the soldier

he didnt come home until later that evening

he remembered breaking into tears and walking off

he must have walked to the railroad tracks his shoes were mighty scuffed up 

his hands were swollenthe left side of his face and head was bruisedswollen  his brother never had much of a left

he came home because he was hungry and he hadnt any money  his wallet on his dresser  he hadnt planned on going anywhere when his brother called up to him from the foot of the stairs to meet him out front 

                                                                                                he thought some of their buddies had stopped by  he let a slew of them knowcalled around because his brother up and enlistedwas gone before they could throw a hullabaloo for him

they did show

                a couplethree of them showed after he walked off and helped his mother take him into the house where she could better examine him

his kidsister ran off to the corner house across the street where a friend of the familytheir mothers in particular had been a nurse before she had a family  she came over to help

he was duly informed of the goings-on by his father Your mother’s too upset with you to talk to you right now  he was at the dinner table in the kitchen eating a cold meatloaf on rye sandwich  he had thick slices of raw onion on it yellow mustard  he sipped a cold glass of milk

Thats too bad

                I . . I didnt throw the first punch 

2130,  Saturday,  24  4. 21

1514, Monday,  26  4. 21