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    General Discharge
    General Discharge
    General Discharge
    Ebook78 pages29 minutes

    General Discharge

    By Gary Mesick

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    About this ebook

    With take-no-prisoners wit, these poems range from parody to pathos to draw the reader into a world rich in irony—ambivalent volunteers, uncertain alliances, and self-absorbed citizens. Together, they create a string of wry observations on the American military that could only have come from a career infantry officer with an eye for the absurd. From the surprising first poem through the jolt of the collection’s final line, these poems provide a much-needed perspective on soldiers, veterans—and the nation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFomite
    Release dateMar 1, 2019
    ISBN9781944388997
    General Discharge

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      Book preview

      General Discharge - Gary Mesick

      General Discharge

      General Discharge

      Poems

      Gary Mesick

      Fomite

      To every American taxpayer: You’re welcome.

      And as for war, my wars

      Were global from the start.

      —Henry Reed, Unarmed Combat

      Contents

      Of Arms and the Man

      The Anti -War Movement, 1974

      Pascal’s Wager: The Cold War Edition

      The Man in the Red Sash

      Filming Macarthur on Location at West Point with My Old Friend Gregory Peck

      Last Class with Balls

      Soldier of Fortune

      It Wasn’t the War

      To my Track Driver, on Trial

      Smoker

      Rules of Evidence

      War Games

      Enhanced Interrogation

      Breaker Morant

      High Noon at the DMZ

      Compline: Camp Casey

      Yankee, Go Home!

      Stand-To

      The GI Handbook: Travel Tip #42

      Backstage with the Richard Nixon Comeback Tour

      We Come in Peace!

      Speed Trap at the North Fort Gate

      Ambition

      Thank You for Your Service

      Stonehenge at Maryhill, Washington

      The Centralia Massacre, 1919

      The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

      Lunch Hour at Pho Saigon

      Lloyd’s Rocket

      Resume

      In Corpore Sano

      The Eye of the Needle

      Mad Carl’s Neighbors

      Skid Road

      Lullaby Beneath the Bridge

      The Man in Flames

      The Traveler Addresses the Good Samaritan The Traveler Addresses the Good Samaritan

      Crab Lice

      … and He is Us

      Inquisition

      Attack of the Blue Tarp Zombies

      Premise Under Surveillance

      Eco-Terrorism Lite

      All Hallow’s Eve at Starbucks

      The Church of Football

      Belly Bumping

      Road Crew Babe

      The Good Word Mission Church in the Strip Mall

      Poverty Bay

      Cooking Show

      Great Books of the Western World

      English, Please

      Trinity Row House Brickwork

      Manhattan

      Wasps

      Annual Performance Review

      Acknowledgments

      About the Author

      Of Arms and the Man

      The Anti -War Movement, 1974

      Armored Personnel Carriers sat un-Guarded

      De-facing our school, so, having no greater cause

      To occupy our time, we found several sticks of chalk

      That would not be missed and went to work.

      Somewhere else, the earnest caretakers of the APCs

      Hand-to-handed out leaflets and declared the virtues of service

      In the National Guard. Meanwhile, we crept, concealed by junipers

      And rhododendrons to the edge of the garden,

      Then darted between the two parked, tracked vehicles,

      Until we reached the far flank. Then with our chalk,

      We traced encircled semaphores for peace,

      And we exhorted no one in particular to Stop the War,

      Which was, to all reasonable persons, already defunct.

      Nobody prevented us nor

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