"Impasse of Narrative" and "Samuel Johnson On USS Independence (CV-62)"

"Samuel Johnson On USS Independence (CV-62)" by Carl Nyberg
"A ship is just a prison
"With the possibility of drowning"
I was explaining the idea to
The Japanese contractor
When the ship's engineer overheard
"Left-handed Academy grad"
The senior chief called him
The engineer failed to appreciate the humor
Or maybe he did
And the authority bestowed
Kept him from laughing

"Impasse of Narrative" by Carl Nyberg

If you knew the horror,
Would you have asked me to go?
If you knew the lies,
Would you have asked us to go?
If you knew the horror and the lies,
Would you have asked us to go?
"Tell us stories of how war purified you"
"Tell us stories that make us feel good for having sent you"
I cannot tell the stories that make you a hero
For having sent me to do
That which didn't need to be done
"Why should we listen to stories we don't want to hear?"