    Homeboys

    Hung over and hunkered in a resupply chopper to
    Dien I leaned away from Wayne hissing hatred of
    slopes, dinks, charleys, names the fearful chanted
    doing homeboy whites deviling blacks.

    Zip it, honkie, I thought, must've muttered it, Wayne
    jerked around, hardeyed me, squirted snuff down my
    front.

    Grimaced: You first we on the ground sawbones, cut
    your gut, dose the paddies your blackass shit.

    What'd you do with this endless stream of frightened
    kids, I asked and told myself, do what you do, patch 'em,
    send 'em home in a bag, get ready for more. Why stay
    here, why go home, same either way, here or there,
    smoke some dope, stop time, forget.

    Rips opened the deck, a gash in Wayne's neck and jaw,
    blood spurted, cheekbone flapped, his eyes rolled white,
    he tumbled in my lap, spasmic thrashed, bucked to the open
    door. I grabbed his boot which kicked free and Wayne went
    airborne, cartwheeling spraying red and brown.

    I flew after him, time to heal, the bird was burning.

    Wayne's fluids rose to meet me, raining upward, until I
    caught him, hooked our belts, pulled my tools, wrapped his
    wound, shot the dope, into him, into me, time stopped,
    we sailed home.

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 04 Jul 1997 22:29:27 -0400
    To: wire@monkey-boy.com
    From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>