Not Even

On an Island in the Pacific, World War II

In the brittle hush of morning
sunlight touches a sailor
sitting on a beach.
His resolve unravels
as cresting waves hit the shore,
one after another—
marching.
 
He wonders how he got here,
and if he will ever go home.
Thoughts of his family—
now a long-ago shadow—
an ache past endurance.
 
Tomorrow he’ll help build a runway
in a tangle of trees and vines.
Today he must stay alive—
so much to know to survive.
 
Everywhere death whispers—
The jungle is his enemy.
Survival rules are firm:
Pigweed grows over water.
Dig down 5 to 10 inches.
Dip it out 4 times, then drink.
Rain collects in the bottom of bamboo.
Drink that. Survive.
 
Poisons are everywhere.
Eat anything a monkey or bird eats.
Juice from the Barrington fruit                                                  
Kills fish—a quick catch.
Not even the fish are safe.
 

First published in These Fought in Any Case: A Collection of Poems and Short Stories by Veterans, June 1, 2022.