Author's Bio.

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Mushroom Montoya circumnavigated the globe aboard the USS Trippe DE1075 after killing soldiers, woman and children in Viet Nam. Now, as a shaman, he heals the planet one person at a time. Mushroom Montoya has an active shamanic healing practice in Long Beach, California and he teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Cal State Univ. Long Beach.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Thanksgiving Day 1973


Sailing in the Gulf of Tonkin
On Thanksgiving 1973
Is not where we wanted to be.
Northward we had been escaping,
On our way to Yokohama,
On our way, far away
From the war,
From Viet Nam.
We mistakenly thought 
We were homeward bound,
Sailing first,
For a little R &R
Before sailing east,
So that we could feast
At the Thanksgiving table,
To be with our wives,
Our kids, and our friends
Who were able 
To celebrate our being home.
But 0rders came
Telling us to turn around.
We were no longer 
Homeward bound.
Back to the Gulf of Tonkin,
Back to the fight 
That turned off the light
That held our hope.
Now we,
War-weary sailors,
Were once again,
Returning, 
Forever returning,
To War-torn Viet Nam.
On that Thanksgiving day
We ate in shifts
As the Truxtun sailed
Up and down
The Gulf of Tonkin
On Thanksgiving 1973.

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