Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan

College in New Hampshire where he’s talking to students about pacifism and universal peace.

Ho Chi Minh Trail
    For centuries, this trail meandered through sparsely
populated jungle, facilitating trade in Southeast Asia
a basketry of truck crossings, river systems, primeval paths.
    Â 
    Barefoot hordes drove oxcarts and heavily-laden bicycles,
human pack animals.
    Â 
    1959 Armed conflicts escalate between the National
Liberation Front (NLF), also called Viet Cong,
and the first president of the Republic of Vietnam,
Ngo Dinh Diem.
    Â 
    1961 The People’s Army of Vietnam works on
the trail and the use of motor transports escalates.
    Â 
    1965 The trail develops into an intricate network:
dirt roads peppered with supply bunkers, barracks,
hospitals, control facilities, and tunnels: hard-packed,
underground living areas with field hospitals and
command centers.
    Â 
    Motto: Build roads to advance.
Fight the enemy to travel.

Mickey
    USS Hermitage LSD-34 Pussy Patrol
    Â 
    Don,
    Â 
    Now that it’s daylight savings I can start playing
golf after I knock off ship’s work. With some luck
I might get on the ship’s team.
    Â 
    I don’t like to think about what I’m going to do
when I get out of here—besides throw a bitchin’ party.
    Â 
    Guess I’ll take the GED. If I don’t pass
I’ll be the oldest guy in high school.
    Â 
    I’m sending you a fag from Tortola,
but that’s it, man,
I swear!
    Â 
    Your ex-friend,
    Â 
    â€œThe Mick”
    Â 
    P.S. Cheryl said you might bag that
assistant pro job at the country club.
Prick!

Phil
    Hi Gorgeous,
    Â 
    Five days of nonstop rain and I’m sick
of watching my yo-yo walk-the-dog,
tossing cards into my helmet,
sharpening my Kabar blade,
so I started translating the Olyhay Iblebay
(Holy Bible) into Pig Latin:
    Â 
    Inay ethay eginningbay, Odgay
eatedcray ethay eavenhay anday earthay.
    Â 
    That’s Enesisgay. 1:1.
    Â 
    Love, Phil
    Â 
    P.S. Did you really break up with Don?

Mickey
    USS Hermitage LSD-34 San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Â 
    Dear Cheryl,
    Â 
    HICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK.
TWO MICE RAN UP THE CLOCK.
THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE,
BUT THE OTHER ESCAPED
WITH MINOR INJURIES.
    Â 
    WHAT’S RED AND SITS IN A CORNER?
    Â 
    Hold up to mirror:
    Â 
    SEDALBROZAR GNIWANG YBAB A
    Â 
    I didn’t write all the stuff I thought
to write about but I guess this will do.
    Â 
    Love, Mickey
    Â 
    P.S. The cords to “Nowhere Man” are
hard to play if you don’t use bar cords,
especially in E flat (E b ).

Cheryl
    The needle sticks on “A Boy Like That” and his I love you but I slept with your best friend doesn’t mesh with my idea of love, so I grab a pen holding it like a dagger over my journal, slashing the page into confetti and ripping it out and wadding it up and tossing it in the toilet and flushing and starting over, writing to Don, telling him how much I hate him and how he branded my heart and that I’ll never forgive him for what he did, not ever, and then I drop it in the toilet and pee all over him.

Don
    Hello again—
    Â 
    I’m home now and can’t stop
thinking about you, about us.
    Â 
    I’ve told you I love you many times,
and I truly mean it, even if I’m not
so hot at showing you.
    Â 
    I know you don’t want to talk to me
right now. But maybe you could write
a letter and give it to Nancy?
    Â 
    Things could be perfect, Cheryl,
if you’d give us a second chance.
    Â 
    All my love, Don
    Â 
    P.S. I miss you!!!
P.P.S. I’m sorry!!!

Ziggy
    * I’m lipstick
nail polish
mascara.
    Â 
    A short squat
package people
buy without
looking inside.
    Â 
    * Free Verse: Ms. Hawes’s class

Cheryl
    * HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE
HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE
I HATE DONALD DUCK
    Â 
    * Haiku: Ms. Hawes’s class

Norman Morrison
    (December 29, 1933–November 2, 1965)
    Â 
    A devout Quaker and father of three young children pours