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by Gregory Severance


source:
faded carbon copy
printed by teletype equipment
in the 3rd Marine Air Wing
Commanding General's
communications center
Okinawa, Japan

letter to Elliott Night
22 August 1983
who at the time lived in
Seattle, Washington, America


                                                            22 August 1983

Dear Elliott,

      I am committed (or should be) and completely unresolved. Resolution is death. I am not happy but enjoy living. I read voraciously and write sparingly. At the moment I am reading MARRY ME by John Updike and a collection of short stories by Doris Betts called BEAST OF THE SOUTHERN WILD AND OTHER STORIES.
      I am at work right now. It is 9:20 P.M. I have been here since 4:00. I have done nothing but read and play with the games you sent me. I also received a letter from my girlfriend in London. She is having problems with paying her bills and there is nothing I can do to help.
      I get off work at midnight and have tomorrow off so I plan on going out to the bar where I have twice performed striptease in semi-drag. The girls that work at the bar say I am sexy when I dance. I borrow make-up and see-through gowns. I dance to songs off the juke box like "Cocaine" by Clapton and "Woman in Love" by Streisand. The guys in the bar enjoy my dancing too--except one guy last week who is a 1st Lieutenant. That night I had to escape out a secret side door onto the street. He followed me into a restaurant and demanded to see my I.D. I said, with smeared make-up on my face, "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about man." He told one of his buddies to call the MPs. I walked out of the restaurant and got into a cab and disappeared into the night. He was left standing on the curb, shouting for MPs.
      I guess I could've been charged with "behavior unbecoming a service member." Hi Ho.
     Do you like "Gang of Four"?
     When we meet again we will have to trip together.
     I like your lyrics. Send me more

                                 Greg


web page by Gregory Severance
email = morocco@walrus.com

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