The man I married as the war began
was killed in the Pacific. We never had much time together.
In the time that we had, something always happened to keep us apart.
I searched for parallel histories
in the stories of the men with whom he served.
Admiral Arleigh Burke. The picture of his life,
unexpected. The things that happened to him,
like the emerging evidence of control of artist's lives.
Not only the big things -- how his career seemed continually diverted,
where he was led in his final years --
but also the small things.
The pattern of relentless life interference.