A Seaman In The Far East

For Veterans Day, here's a poem by my Uncle Peter, who's a wonderful, funny writer. This was written while he was stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Korean War.

And here's a small non-poem bonus: if I understand family lore correctly, he met my late aunt subsequent to this while he was in law school, after she had broken up with Ralph Nader.

A Seaman in the Far East

The Admiral is being courtmartialled;
how refreshing
the wind from the mountains!

Farther and farther west
an aircraft carrier
and me.

Wheeling for Hawaii
the last landbird
throws a lei.

Floating inside this carrier:
royal me
and twenty-seven types of bombs.

My paycheck tiny,
the national debt
stupendous.

The tide-green pier
lined with launderers:
Hello, Japan!

Sauntering with two friends,
from Miss Lumiko
three smiles.

On a rusty bicycle
pedalling here,
pedalling there.

Lost
in a hazy country lane;
the voice of a cow!

Co-co-ri-co!
even the witless rooster
speaks Japanese.

The Great Buddha in Kamakura,
sad from pretending
tourists are worshippers.

The maiden pads in
with a bowl of cherry blossoms
and a whiskey bottle.

Rushing into the street
where
has Mt. Fuji gone?

Drunk,
drunk;
the reproachful moon.

Two days out from Japan,
sighting the blue
shape of North Korea.

Pilots dozing
in the ready room;
envy of pilots.

The drooping 'copter blades
blur as they rise
up to a saucer.

Smoking,
sitting in the gin-tub;
clouds like women.

Allotted daily
to the Captain and me:
twenty-four hours each.

Onto the red-haired junior officer,
a rain
of chocolate smoke!

Following
a stab at calisthenics,
months of languor.

Sighting in Tokyo
despite the riots;
purchase of mats.

Bargaining 700 yen
off the price
of a bamboo fishing rod.