Condition River Shitty / *image by Amalie Flynn*

In The Dead Man’s Seabag

On top of clean uniforms,
his Bible rested,
a well-worn photo
of his wife and two sons,

tucked inside with a letter—
We love you
and miss you.
Hurry home.

A blue ribbon marked
First Thessalonians,
where he had underlined—
Be joyful always;

pray continually;
give thanks.

River City

As you wait
for my promised letter,
I count the slowly flooding
minutes of condition river shitty,
like a meteorologist watching
a crest stage gage, helpless
to stem the overflow
as it breaches. I can’t reach
through this void, extend
my fingers to brush yours,
can’t lift and spin you in a hug.
An AH-64 Apache helicopter
encountered hostile fire,
casualties confirmed.
Waiting as the Army notifies
next of kin, I thank God
they’re not coming to you.
I pray for those in the way
of fate, grateful my destiny,
today, is only to make you wait.

Loretta Tobin

Loretta Tobin grew up on a North Dakota farm, and studied at the University of Valencia, Spain before graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Her deployment as a female admin chief with NMCB 18 (Seabees) to Al Asad, Iraq was a life-changing event that left her questioning the norm and writing about her inner conflicts. Her poems have or will appear in print and online journals, including Calyx: A Journal of Art & Poetry for Women; Line of Advance; Military Experience & the Arts—As You Were; New Plains Review; and Southeast Missouri State University Press—Proud to Be. Now retired from the Navy Reserve and her career with the City of Everett, Washington, she divides her time between grandchildren and travel, sometimes combining the two.