1919

The Camera Eye (34)

his voice was three thousand miles away all the time he kept wanting to get up outa bed his cheeks were bright pink and the choky breathing No kid you better lay there quiet we dont want you catching more cold that’s why they sent me down to stay with you to keep you from getting up outa bed

the barrelvaulted room all smells fever and whitewash carbolic sick wops outside the airraid siren’s got a nightmare

(Mestre’s a railhead and its moonlight over the Brenta and the basehospital and the ammunition dump

carbolic blue moonlight)

all the time he kept trying to get up outa bed Kiddo you better lay there quiet his voice was in Minnesota but dontjaunerstandafellersgottogetup I got a date animportantengagementtoseeabout those lots ought nevertohavestayedinbedsolate I’ll lose my deposit For chrissake dont you think I’m broke enough as it is?

Kiddo you gotto lay there quiet we’re in the hospital in Mestre you got a little fever makes things seem funny

Cant you letafellerbe? You’re in cahoots withem thaswhassematteris I know theyreouttorookme they think Imagoddamsucker tomadethatdeposit I’ll showem Illknockyergoddamblockoff

my shadow on the vault bulkyclumsily staggering and swaying from the one candle spluttering red in the raw winterhospital carbolic night above the shadow on the cot gotto keep his shoulders down to the cot Curley’s husky inspite of

(you can hear their motors now the antiaircraft batteries are letting loose must be great up there in the moonlight out of the smell of carbolic and latrines and sick wops)

sit back and light a macedonia by the candle he seems to be asleep his breathing’s so tough pneumonia breathing can hear myself breathe and the water tick in the faucet doctors and orderlies all down in the bombproof cant even hear a sick wop groan

Jesus is the guy dying?

they’ve cut off their motors the little drums in my ears sure that’s why they call em drums (up there in the blue moonlight the Austrian observer’s reaching for the string that dumps the applecart) the candleflame stands up still

not that time but wham in the side of the head woke Curley and the glass tinkling in the upstairs windows the candle staggered but didnt go out the vault sways with my shadow and Curley’s shadow dammit he’s strong head’s full of the fever reek Kiddo you gotto stay in bed (they dumped the applecart allright) shellfragments hailing around outside Kiddo you gotto get back to bed

But I gotadate oh christohsweetjesus cant you tell me how to get back to the outfit haveaheart dad I didntmeannoharm itsonlyaboutthose lots

the voice dwindles into a whine I’m pulling the covers up to his chin again light the candle again smoke a macedonia again look at my watch again must be near day ten o’clock they dont relieve me till eight

way off a voice goes up and up and swoops like the airraid siren ayayoooTO