Fort
Campbell Kentucky
he only knew
of it because his father was stationed their during the Korean War he had two skillsets the military became interested
in other than he was conscripted a warm body
he had a
steadfast skill for clerical work organisation time study and he volunteered to be a paratrooper
nobody
did things faster than his old man once he analysed and determined what were needless
steps Waste. he said
Time’s a wasting! his
old man meant it
paratroopers
werent utilised during the Korean campaign his old man knew that and thats why he volunteered to become a paratrooper he analysed that and determined its
uselessness its needlessness
his old man
was a sharp cookie
he was
nobodys fool
nobody except for his mother head over heels fool
but when someone falls in love they should be head over heels otherwise dont waste your time pay for a
clandestine fuck out of the neighbourhood so nobodys the wiser
he could
imagine then as now there were lots of wisenheimers who would want to play around
in anothers life for no other reason than they could cause them grief with
innuendo gossip anif that didnt cut it malicious lies some kind of perverted satisfaction it gave them
something to do they were precursors to
the end-of-century reality television shows
precursors to Shit television Crap
cable
he quit
watching television at their advent
he recognised
he couldnt buy into their extentions that
sudden spat of social media My Space book of Face dazzling breathtaking shit which imagined influencers
or talking heads could seduce audiences
he realised that
they were talking out of their ass FOX then
with their text then with commentators asif hed fall for their lines that hed buy into were they informing himHA he didnt need anyone to tell him what he just
heard or read these clowns certainly didnt fit into his old
mans scheme of efficiency his old man saw
to it that redundancy was decapitated naturally
it was reasonably and intellectually the first thing to be disposed A Waste
of Time
Joe, you
remember Canary Barbecue on Carrol Avenue where meat turned on spits in the
front window to bring you in.
No Dad believe that was before my time
Ah, yes, yes,
correct, you were probably just a baby last time we went; but I took your Mom
there on a couple dates before I was drafted.
After Donny
Bohrisch Jimmy Goodman introduced you to her at the company picnic yah
Yes. She was
in an art class with them at Tuley. Chicago Printed String Company. Papa Vogl’s
enterprise, or rather I should say Charlie Weiner’s enterprise too. I worked at
the Western Avenue facility, you’re mother worked at Logan Boulevard, Logan
Square. The Company threw picnics for employees. If you worked for them they
treated you to a summer picnic and a Christmas Gala.
They were
Jewish right
Yes, virtually
all their employees were gentiles though, at least those who worked on the
floor or in the lunchrooms. They treated us very well, and we didn’t ever want
to disappoint them. Everyone worked hard. No one took anything for granted.
Everyone benefitted.
the reason
why he called and brought up Fort Campbell was because he wanted to be sure his Dad still
had the little porcelain skunk figurine kept inside in a wood cage he mailed
his Maw while they were courting
since she had
died a lot of things were leaving his fathers house and he wanted to be sure no
onehis siblings had liberated things they shouldnt have
Shit his sister took his parents wedding album Take it back
He told me I
could have it.
I could give
a fuck Take it back When hes dead you can have it Wha are you thinkin
I asked him and
he said I could have it.
You
asked Why would you fuckin ask him to
have his wedding album Ya ever hear of elder
abuse Take it back When I come to visit he doesnt have it Ill
come see youya don want me comin to see you about his wedding albumChrist awmighty wha are you thinkin
I sure do, it’s
on my highboy. his father
kept it on his highboy for as long as he could remember he had a long memory Ain’t never gonna lose track of it. I mailed
it to your Mom from Missouri, bought it in a dimestore in a small town outside
Camp Crowder when Gene, Mr. Sands, Gene and I were there to escort prisoners
back to Fort Campbell.
Your mother
was my My Li’l Stinker, as the label on the top of the cage says.
She still
is now and forever
Thank you
for saying so, son.
Of course
Dad Its the little
things isnt it
Yes it is. Thank
you for reviving some memories I might not have returned to without you asking.
Yare
welcome I promise to be a thorn in your
paw the burr under your saddle
The pea
under my mattress?
Lets not get
ridiculous
1412, Saturday, 6 3.
21
2304, Monday – Ides of March, 15 3.
21
