My cousin Terry -- the one who went to war
Not the one who went to Hollywood nor
The one who went, depending on whom
You asked, to Vermont or to Delaware --
Was tall and strong and had red-brown hair
She kept cut short. During World War Two
She learned to smoke and joined the navy
As a nurse. She gave up cigarettes
Before I met her but would sometimes
Gesture with an invisible one or thoughtfully
Take a puff on it before answering a question.
Her voice was quiet and hoarse and unnaturally
Free of malice. Thinking of her, I always see her
Carrying wounded sailors -- one under her right arm
And two under her left -- as if it was for her
The easiest thing in the world to do.
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