Fire Base Zulu Poem by Barry Jablonski

I see movement in the tree line
Our weapons are at the ready
Men in my platoon are young
I’m trying to keep them steady

We know they will attack soon
And it could be day or night
Plenty of ammo and provisions
We’re hunkered down to fight

Tracer rounds light up the night
They’re testing our defenses
It won’t be too much longer
Before the real fight commences

They rush us from all directions
With blank hatred in their eyes
As our guns spew death non-stop
You can hear their final cries

We’ve forced them to withdraw
The dead & dying lie everywhere
Our enemies are in full retreat
As we say a thankful prayer…