independence day
or something other
dependent upon
big brother
those things
some lost and gone
one belief and ultimate faith
cumulatively taken away
mutant politics with cruel strings
only one blatant way
some always say
mortars landed
boom boom boom
tanks withstand it
three dead soldiers
all right handed
five wounded
war commands it
down the road
bereft scared villagers sit
grunts in their fatigues hunting
M16's and their battle kit
a stern Viet woman cooks rice
inside the hut those guilty
farmers and left wing locals sit
outside foreign grunts hunt VC
inside simple huts
children looking scared
as frightened women fret
sergeant notices and he cares
that big pot of cooking rice
enough to feed a dozen men he'd bet
lieutenant orders a closer search
in and out and behind
grunts poke around
seek and ye shall find
to surely see what they get
surly corporal notices a hidden hole
burly sergeant orders a soldier
flip the furrow lid
expose that bamboo net
grunts fire their M16's
empty two mags
into the deep dark pit
sergeant and corporal
toss in two grenades
frightened women
crying children still sit
boom and boom with obvious doom
smoke and dirt fly
from that earthen crypt
lieutenant orders a teenage soldier
jump into that smoking shit
firing his M16 down a dark tunnel
at the ready grunts with their deadly war kit
soldiers haul out nine bloodied corpses
lay them out as scared villagers still quietly sit
soldiers wait to see which women
rise up to break down
over each dead VC git
lieutenant orders his men
down the country road again
to see what they get
all eyes and M16's at the ready
scanning green rice paddies
just in case there are waterborne VC yet
lieutenant radios command
ten minutes later two screaming jets
soldiers turn to view the land
oblong bombs fall right on target
napalm exploding into fiery balls
bits and pieces with those fire brands
old men women and children is what they get
blown to fiery hell
some still alive scream and yell
the country village is obliterated
out on the Tonkin sea two roaring jets
landing on an aircraft carrier
like a vengeful dream
caught by the ship's safety net
another successful foray
hunt and destroy mission
war with all its blood and glory
viciousness is what we get
an independence day story
sordid politics and morbid war
what the resplendent world gets

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