Navy Whites
i woke up hung over
my dad was at the door
handed me an envelope
full of money
let's go get
a hamburger, he said
we sat in the shade
and i listened to my dad
tell his old navy stories
the apple didn't
fall far from the tree
my dad had joined the navy at the
last minute
so he wouldn't get
his ass blown
off in Vietnam
he was a coward
and i'm proud of him
for that
if he'd been stupid
and brave
i might not have
been born
and what a shame
that would be
he just chased whores
and got drunk as
often as possible
french women following
the fleet
and my dad drunk
stomping grapes
in greece
in his navy whites
crashing rented cars
in italy just for the thrill of it
and hitchhiking thru
the united kingdom
smashed some guy's
face with a fire extinguisher
in the mess hall
and
when it came time
for his punishment
he made a deal with
his superior officer
that he'd eat a cigar
to get out of
the heat
ate the thing
and then vomited
all over the officer's
desk and uniform
that was my dad
he knew that
there's no such
thing as a war hero
and he knew
that honor wasn't
about putting
a bullet in someone's head
i look at him now
and he's old
he has bad credit
and
he doesn't
give
a
shit
he has his young wife
and his dog
and pictures of his
dead parents
and his dead friends
tacked up
on the walls
he sees me hung over
with holes in my pants
greasy hair
no shower
no shave
and he asks me
how i'll pay my rent
and i say, i dunno...
he shakes his head
the apple didn't
fall far from the tree,
he says.