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~ an experimental creative laboratory by Mark Snyder

Radical Totality

Daily Archives: November 8, 2012

The Ship

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Mark Snyder in poetry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

family, grandfather, poetry, USS Indianapolis, World War II

I remember being little
sitting with you
as you told us
about the ship going down
The Japs, you said,
put torpedoes into her
and nobody knew she was out there
They went into the water
under the searing South Pacific sun
clinging to their kapok life vests
The next day the sharks came
The men tied themselves in a circle
as the sharks picked them off,
one by one, by one,
amid the screams and delirium
Some of the men, you said,
swam off to tropical paradises
they’d never reach
Others unclasped their jackets
and gave themselves to the deep
Men died of thirst
in thousands of miles of ocean
Others couldn’t help themselves
and drank from the poisonous sea

You told us with such passion
I always thought you were there,
in the water,
with the floating limbs
surrounded by death itself
And yet, I didn’t believe you
Such an unimaginable fate
had to be from your imagination

You never told me
about that first week on Tinian
when the monsoon
turned everything to mud
How your poncho became your tent
about the K-rations and coffee
about the burn of the mosquitos
and the fever, the deathly chill in the broiling sun

You never told me
you built the greatest airport in the world
Where five hundred warbirds
departed day and night
incinerating the wooden cities
of Amaterasu’s son,
about the fiery crashes
of overloaded bombers
about the strafings by
hopeless one-way Zeros
from Iwo Jima

You never told me
you stayed behind
on that gleaming July day
as majestic Indianapolis
appeared on the shore
Did you go aboard to retrieve her treasure?
Did you know her secret?
Did you know yours would be
a forgotten role
in the greatest, darkest moment
of human history?

How did you feel
seeing the Silverplates
take to the skies?
When did you know
that you’d helped
bring Hell itself to Earth?

What terrible fate
did they hold over your head
if you ever told what you’d done?

How did you feel?
knowing your grandchildren
would never in your lifetime
know the truth about the day
you told us about
the ship
going

down

.

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Pear blossoms

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Mark Snyder in photograph

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blossom, pear, photograph, spring, tree

Image

Peculiarities and Reticences

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Mark Snyder in poetry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

medicine, poetry

HuMdrum

oUt!

iS

satIsfaction the

praCtice of

medIcine

And

patieNts?

A Million

SUndays

hiS

lIfe was

praCtice-

It might

hAve

beeN

coMing-

shoUld have.

So

I

detaChed.

Intense

concentrAtion.

IllNess.

TheM.

ThoUgh,

Sleep?

I?

Consequence?

I

cAme.

aNy

tiMe

oUt?

aS

If I

Couldn’t,

I wanted

A

momeNt,

some Morning;

the hoUse.

Steps.

I?

Case

Into

formulAte

iNto.

Make.

HUnt.

waS

wIth.

Called on

hIs

peculiArities and

reticeNces.

Might

attitUde,

phySician,

dIctate,

proCeed,

tIme-

A

maN?

Mind

distrUsting

firSt

opportunIty;

onCe,

advIser

thAt had

giveN

hiM,

bUt

reSt.

mInd

Comes,

adoptIng

pAtient’s

conditioN.

November 2012
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Observer

News, data and insight about the powerful forces that shape the world.

kushtrimthaqi

Just another human being who's trying to reach new levels of consciousness.

A PILLAR OF SOCIETY

annamosca

Poetic Landscapes Of The Spirit

M.O.A

Poetry On A Roll

"free-verse" poetry from the soul

notes by scribblerbean

life in the margins, caffeinated.

A Topsy Turvy World

Disorder shall prevail thanks to Sister Entropy

FracturedGalaxies

Wuji Seshat

Selected Poems

She's in Prison

Poetry by Leanne Rebecca Ortbals

Zora Neale Hurston study group

Offtheravenstongue's Blog

Just another WordPress.com site

The 365 Poetry Project

Read A Little Poetry

Let's read poems together.

Awake & Asleep

Letters from Edinburgh to Manila, and Back

Poesy plus Polemics

Words of Wonder, Worry and Whimsy

"It is as it is"

New Beginnings

By Erika Enriquez

mentalnotes1

POETRY, RANDOM THOUGHTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT....

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