Bureau Aeronautics

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Can an inanimate object possess the essence of a man?

Brown Leather Jacket

Today I pull out from my closet
a supple brown leather jacket
and place it upon my frame.

It amazes me what a small man
he was, I remember him so huge!
He fit in the craft's cockpit quite well.

The nape of my neck is warmed by a faux
fur collar that touched his own, his
white silk scarf tucked underneath.

The worn label inside reads this way:
Bureau of Aeronautics USN
Jacket, Flying, Man's, Type G-1

My father wore this jacket in WWII
when he was just 28 years old.
His daughter, now 60, remembers him well.
Note: The title should be Brown Flight Jacket.
Regarding the last three lines, I appreciate your feedback; however, they are important to me to reflect how young he was when he wore it, and that his daughter, now much older than he when he fought in the war, still remembers him, particularly on this Veteran's Day.
That after all these years, his service was not in vain.

Ma, I found a pair of stenciled bell bottoms a while
back. I hadn't worn them since boot camp. Somewhere
in a book is a photo of a young man with green eyes full
of pride and determination, that I would no longer
recognize as myself.