an industrial worker of the world: anti-fascist New Leftist memoir— poem. an anti-imperialist epoch 1960s-1970s: anti-Vietnam War-student movement— worldwide-U.S. a socialist consciousness: Spanish Civil War— North American volunteers XV International Brigade anti-fascist fighters 1936-1938. a crushing defeat: victorious Nationalists entered Madrid— 28 March 1939. a young leftist’s quest: follow those who came before— choose a resistance group-fight fascism stay the course-conquer fear-be willing to die plan your work-work your plan-navigate the earth experience the world-organize-continue to study-work fight for justice-live meaningful-as the young anti-fascist adventurers-who came before the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. an unlicensed seaman: National Maritime Union-AFL-CIO— Communist Party USA led 1930s-1940s Abraham Lincoln Brigade volunteers dolphin tattoo balls of feet charms long hair internationalist radical calloused young muscular body ALB inspired New Leftist Al Lannon Club. a U.S. Merchant Mariner’s Document: Able Bodied Seaman— three-year apprenticeship Any Waters-Unlimited Tonnage quartermaster topside industrial worker skilled labor. a calling: not afar me— heart’s delight-distant shore looking upon your visible depths exposed upon visage naked to the eye beloved. a ship: exiled— MV Pioneer Contender ah the hum of her engines purring steam-turbines smooth as the cat’s-meow the Motor Vessel’s cargo-underway pushing through her waters parting liquid lips of she. an Atlantic Ocean: summer— mid-ocean monotonous depths relentless dead calm water insidious salt water haunting being doldrums. a blues song: Port of New Orleans-USA— only great sea crossing will end this ride-will you be along the quay my country ‘tis of thee-history: exploitation-genocide-slavery colonialism-imperialism-poverty-racism-mass imprisonment-war worldwide environmental destruction-atomic bomb testing detonations Hiroshima-Nagasaki-existential threat extinction. a North Sea: Port of Bremerhaven-Germany— Wolf Packs eminent battle inevitable-no quarter given winter runs Central Europe-North Atlantic-North Sea haunting spectrum-imperialism’s savage history-World Wars “Without our Merchant Marine this war could not be won”-Eleanor Rosevelt World War Two: “National Maritime Union sailors facing terrifying conditions” moving matériels across: Atlantic Convoys England-Murmansk USSR-Pacific Asia unsparing anguish grows-courage to die venerable dread of becoming lost-vehement forever son institutionalized-no longer fit alone entombed forgotten. a homage: Port of La Havre-Paris-France— Communards’ Wall Père Lachaise Cemetery common grave-147 Commune soldiers 19 officers executed 28 May 1871-ending 60 day existence Marx-Engles declared: “Commune as the dictatorship of the proletariat” Vichy France collaboration: Communists-Jews-Roma-political prisoners-deportations Pithiviers-Auschwitz-Majdanek-Sobibor-Kaunas Ghetto-Vauen-Dachau-Stutthof Communards’ Corner memorials weather elements bearing eternal witness-carved in stone demanding fascism crimes be not forgotten-forgiven occupied territories death camps ghettos. a Caribbean Sea: springtime Atlantic Ocean— tempestuous season Panama Canal Transit-east to west pulse rapid as breath exhaled sweat beads and falls wisps away awash heart pounding to the sea I scream. a harbor grudge-commemoration of Chile 1973: Port of Santiago-Chile-1976— as twilight falls stern hopping noise suspended pungent heat subsiding stagnant air fill your lungs screw churning black pigmented swirling white water woe the hour of vengeance-vengeance the stadium’s cadavers beseech a single glow of man-made light now joins my life to the land of your deaths to still unearthed graves I heard your mothers demanding their children ship to city disappearing and never the eternal shall rise my country employed the hands that murdered you unraveling night falls upon placid waters steaming into the starlight filtered immersed starkness vast open water compañeros. a Mediterranean Sea voyage: Port of Alexandria-Cairo-Egypt— North Africa desert laborers cargo: rice tallow endless massive crestless green-water sea of rolling rollers roller-coaster. a work: Port of Skikada-Algeria— Algerian Revolution MV Thompson Lykes voyage one with Frantz Fanon’s wretched John Birch Society racist captain life-death fight bull-boatswain cargo of LNG plant material another 430 nautical miles another day closer payoff another day of sea-watches. an Arabian Sea: surrounds you— around you taste her salt hear her moan immersed in her deep into her look bathe in her depths going down into her deeper into her plunge being buried alive in her trough she grips and shudders your vessel no fear of harm from thrust of any spar magnificent heaving breasts of mass sea’s siren song deadens your ears tear yourself apart from her grip or below sight of sky become lost entombed forever more. a blow offshore: Port of Cape Town-South Africa— remembering Steve Biko Afrikaner apartheid state flowing into her animal self being engulfed into her body all day rolling work seething with froth ominous erupting movements on relentless cresting waves looming body falls green-water white man. a Bay of Biscay song: Port of San Sebastian-Bilbao-Spain— as time passed beacons blaze by self-determination the war in the north Battle of Bilbao 1937 swept across your bow ever haunting Spanish Civil War Basque provinces-region of Catalonia Abraham Lincoln Brigade son gaze upon Basque land anti-fascist irregulars undefeated Maquis. a lost love: Port of Valencia-Spain— PCE bookstore-café CPUSA letter of introduction Abraham Lincoln Brigade researcher “Wants you to sit with her-love fell Ebro 1938.” a herald: Port of Jakarta-Indonesia— Java Sea Cornell Paper-1966 gale wind howls beating my breast echoing in my ears CIA murmured excuse singing through the rigging “G30S prevented communist coup” coming storm’s nimble voice pangs resound in crew embodiment of furies PKI lynchings Far-East 1965. a September 12 to 4 Watch: coastwise cargo voyage— anchored MV Geneviene Lykes Hurricane Frederic Lake Charles Louisiana waiting harbor pilot-boat graveyard-wheel watch-pilot house bobbing on the hook “Mayday-Mayday” “water coming in” “Gulf of Mexico” “25.68-89.89” “abandoni’.” a Sea of Japan: Port of Nakhodka-USSR— Siberia sea change viva la-viva la-viva la-sing sing all-sing all-to the revolution an Afro-Cuban stunning compañera dawn: Dictatorship of the proletariat Russian Revolution 24-25 October 1917 bow-keel to stern-awaken: sweeping tender kisses Red versus White armies-Russian Civil War 1918-1920 1919 Union of Soviet Socialists Republics decree creates gulag forced labor camps-Kronshtadt Soviet sailors rebellion put down by Leon Trotsky 1921-Valadmir I. Lenin dies 1924 purge trials Bolshevik Politburo ideologues 1936-1938 Nazi Germany invades 1941-Operation Barbarossa WWII 17-20 million Soviet Union casualties Cold War with West begins Joseph Stalin dies 1953 bleed-blue USSR implodes 1991. a Mediterranean Sea voyage: Port of Ashdod-Haifa-Israel— Middle East-West Asia cargo U.S. munitions Palestinian diaspora apartheid state post Israeli-Arab 1948 War. an Aegean Sea: Port of Limenaria-Thasos-Greece— wife everyday Theologos stone given to me a piece of my island home weeps of one who said she could do what she was not strong enough to do in her death a smile across her face to me on my own at sea. a mariner’s observation: at sea— your fluid self different times hypnotic crestless swells seductive rolling-endlessness have beckon me to leave my berth lay with you until the end my time in your water womb. a Pacific Ocean: Port of Honolulu-Hawaii— deep blue-water alas gently sleep. a world: ideology— capitalism communism choose. a Watch call: Jack— A Calling
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