poem
Volume 26, Number 2

The Blood

I’ve never met a creative writing faculty member who was a veteran.
I’m sure there are some out there,
but I’ve met a lot of homeless who are veterans.
When I taught in prison,
a lot of the prisoners were veterans.
I have some good contacts to work in the mines.
I have some good contacts to do security work.
I volunteered for Desert Storm.
I volunteered for Bosnia.
I got sent to Diego Garcia.
I got sent home, an honorable discharge.
I got sent to the unemployment office.
They told me they’re always hiring for security and for EMTs.
I told them I have a Ph.D. in Literature.
They told me they’re always hiring for security and for EMTs.
They said they’re always hiring someone to shoot guns or to clean up those shot by guns.
I chose to clean up those shot by guns.
I was medical in the military.
It was the same job.
I talked to a creative writing faculty member who wasn’t a veteran and was having writer’s block.
I asked what writer’s block was.
I said I’ve never experienced it.
He told me it’s when you have nothing to write about.
I told him to write about the blood, about all of the blood.
He asked, “What blood?”


—Ron Riekki