Saul Bennett
The Carvery
Boys sat Saturdays in the war assembling aircraft
models from parts in dime kits at benches
in the hobby shop rear carving with steel X-actos
fighter plane fuselages from primitive balsa blocks
past the proprietor's lights-out call
into the peculiar pickled twilight of late fall
within bombardier-drop range of the Empire State.
Most mothers suffered the scattered remains
of in-progress Thunderbolts and Flying Forts
though one routinely escorted the little box
with its perpetrator to the incinerator
threatening a crash-landing without possibility
of rescue if the boy's scores in long division
or cursive script went unhoisted. When
Saturday before Christmas Arnold Simonian's
chair came up bare one boy said that was funny
- he'd spotted Arnie departing his father's
shoe repair with the old man evening before.
One boy said he wasn't sure why he wasn't feeling
much like carving.. Another arfed Yeah!
By Sunday all knew Anthony's brother Peter
who'd joined just at Easter had given both
legs to an Air Corps training accident
in Tennessee. After that fewer boys turned up
Saturdays. Those who carved took to tanks
or cruisers or anything that couldn't fly.