Musings of a Nomad, A Military Housewife

By Lina Marino

Science claims, you can
double your lifespan
if you exist without
stress. What odds for me

relocated each year? Displaced

on Uncle’s whim. Not your choice,
you remind. It’s
career. You and I, in the same
porous boat. We paddle, furious

to remain afloat. Yet

you thrive while I wither,
hope against hope. I’ve lost
too many birthdays now to
gain the difference back.

“So go, reside on an island,”

you tell me, “increase yours
by half.” What good will it do,
with no port to call home?
I am lead by the nose

in my waterlogged coat.

I adapt to each post, live off
the land, scrape the fat
out of the pan. I
extend my shadow

creeping after you. The day

grows long, and my thirsty heart
shrivels,
unmoored. My footsteps barely
touch shore. No record of me anywhere.

I never leave a print.

****

Lina’s father served in the Army, Navy and Merchant Marines. She was married to a Marine for 30 years and both of her sons served in the Marine Corps. Lina has been published in The Comstock Review, Twyckenham Notes, and Atlanta Review. She earned a BA in Creative Writing from Binghamton University, and is currently working on her debut novel.