The Army Wife's Thesaurus: Synonyms for Silence

Abstract

The Army Wife's Thesaurus:Synonyms for Silence Abby E. Murray (bio) adapt, adapt, adapt; be nice;bless your heart; becometolerant; don't bitch; believe;calm down; carry your weight;deployment isn't easy for any of us;death happens; divorce is yourenemy; don't drink too muchbut talk easily about wine;embrace change but learn to lovethe way it's always been;don't fidget or frown; gofor a hike; host a dress swap,a play date, a luncheon, a spa party;impress the hand that doesnot beat you; join a groupfor mommies; know yourlimits; keep at least six beersin the fridge at all times; listen;look on the bright side; makesome money but not a lot;make friends; measure absenceneither by duration nor intensity;no politics; no religion; nodirty laundry; offer seconds;oppose nothing with too mucheagerness; pause; practiceself-care; pack the perfect picnic;play the game; pass the time;paint with the Colonel's wife;paint stars and stripes; paintyour husband's last name;paint roses and wine glasses;quit smoking; quit jobsthat don't jive with army life; [End Page 165] quote Martha Washington;represent your family; resistanger, depression, and fear;remember you are provided for;stay positive; serve your nation;support your soldier; standfor the anthem, for the colors,for the General, for his flourishes;stay strong; suck it up; stayon post; say you have neverbeen told what to say; taketime off; take entry-level;take a deferment; trust God;thank the Colonel's wife;thrive; trim your homewith decorative weaponssuch as rifles, knives, pistols,tomahawks, and sabers;understand the risks;unpack the kitchen first;use club soda; use vinegar;use essential oil; use tact;update your will; volunteer;visit monuments; don't wastethe time you have together;don't wish your life away;wave to the colonel's wife;wear blue; wear pearls;let xyris and zoysia overtakethe yard; Xanax was madefor us; you got this; yellinto his hanging uniforms;zhuzh your wardrobe (withinreason); try zinc; there area zillion ways to be miserable;try lemon zest in your tea. [End Page 166] Abby E. Murray Abby E. Murray is the editor of Collateral, a literary journal concerned with the impact of violent conflict and military service beyond the combat zone. Her book, Hail and Farewell, won the Perugia Press Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the 2020 Washington State Book Award. She teaches rhetoric in military strategy to Army War College fellows at the University of Washington. After serving as 2019-2021 poet laureate for the city of Tacoma, Washington, she recently relocated to Washington DC, where her spouse works in the Pentagon. Copyright © 2022-2023 Pleiades and Pleiades Press