"Behind These Watery Eyes..."
By Justin Eggen
Behind these watery eyes is a story…
Not for me to tell or for you to read.
Instead, a story for you to feel and breathe
A story that’s full of life and that dies in the end.
A story that has no certain path with the harshest of friends.
A story that’s been secure then re-worded.
A story that’s been wicked and rewarded.
There is no happy ending or pious beginnings
Only muddy wastelands filled with painted portraits of killings,
Hanging on the walls of the mind.
War has consumed our time,
Romanticizing battle as a child…
Only to find it lackluster.
Days now spent in exile
Familiarizing myself with bottles and projectiles.
Justin Eggen is a father, award-winning poet, 2x combat veteran, student and a native to Palm Beach County FL, who served in the United States Marine Corps from 2008-2012 as a Combat Engineer with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division.
Outside the Wire: A US Marine’s Collection of Combat Poems and Short Stories by Justin Eggen
The Art of Warrior Poetry by Justin Eggen
The Sun Rises in Helmand by Justin Eggen
From Now, Until Death…I Shall by Justin Eggen
War & Select Poems by Justin Eggen (from which the poem above is taken)
Adahy by Justin Eggen
Teufelhunden 1918 by Justin Eggen
Follow him here.
This week on the Savage Wonder podcast…
Lindsay Partain is an internationally published and produced Oregon playwright and member of the Dramatists Guild. She holds her BA in Theatre from Pacific University and is a resident artist of Theatre Viscera. She was selected to be part of the Ashland New Play Festival's 2022 New Voices Cohort, her 10-minute play, "Cookie Cutter Christmas" was selected as a top-10 semi-finalist for VetRep Theatre's 2022 Play Writing Competition, her 10-minute play, "Last Dance with MJ" was selected for the 2022 Lanford Wilson New Plays Festival, and her new full-length play, "The Light Keepers" will be part of Willamette University Theatre33's 2022 Summer Reading Pop-Up Series this August. Recent publications include: "The Way You Made Me" and “Siren Songs” (Next Stage Press). Her body of work can be found on New Play Exchange.
Find Lindsay on the New Play Exchange.
Follow Lindsay here.
Most non-profits - especially non-profits in the arts - have a sugar daddy.
And we’re open to offers.
But there is something egalitarian about this organization. We want a diverse and robust ecosystem of support - from veterans to artists, from veterans supporters to art-lovers. We don’t want to exist because one person or one company thinks we should exist. We want to exist because all of you believe we should exist.
While we absolutely appreciate Substack paid subscriptions and/or acts of great one-time generosity, we’d like to offer the best way to support us. Be one of our monthly donors. Yes, we are busy. We work seven days a week to build a platform for veterans in the arts. That means:
— our Parlor on Quaker Avenue which provides low-to-no cost tickets and professional comedic theater each Saturday night
— our Savage Wonder Festival of Veterans in the Arts (year 2 to be announced in the somewhat near future!)
— Our ongoing free content like our podcast and this literary blog.
— And I’m not even getting into our impending full play productions or some very exciting micro-festivals we’re planning (I’m not being coy, trust me. We’ll talk about them a lot when everything is locked in!)
For the cost of one Dunkin Donuts cold brew each month, you can show us your support. I mean, you can show your support to the tune of one Buick each month and we won’t complain - but just buying us a cup of coffee each month - or half your Netflix subscription, if you prefer - shows us that you value the content being developed by veterans in the arts. So what do you say? Are we worth $5/month to you? $10? $20?
If we are, thank you. And if we haven’t earned that value for you yet, thank you for giving us the chance to prove it to you.
We build the VetRep platform with you in mind. It’s been a privilege. And we’re only getting started…