Five Star Hole
by Grambi Dora
Iraqi sandstorms whip up the
air.
Lunch time, the hottest hour
The range walk to the dining facility
The range walk to the dining facility
an open bar of AK-47 rounds
RPG’s, and IEDs
It’s standard to carry
whale loads of weaponry and
ammo,
combat gear at the ready.
There might be a little sand
in my ears,
but I guarantee my M-16 and
M-249
seasoned with CLP are
locked, cocked and ready
to kill.
xxx
Cleaning my weapon is an art
Hand sanitizer,
Q-tips and baby wipes
Mom thinks I was use them
to keep my ears clean and
take showers,
while the ample supply of
Kotex tampons
works magically on bleeding
bullet wounds
xxx
My battle buddy and I take turns
sleeping in the sand after
digging
our hasty fighting positions
with our Army
green entrenching tools.
The hole is quiet.
The hole is quiet.
We listen, wait, always
alert and scanning the area.
My pockets have pokey bait. Grandma sent
My pockets have pokey bait. Grandma sent
peanut butter granola bars. I
give
half to my infantry buddy.
He doesn't get care packages.
We’re not in this hole to eat
the buffet,
but I appreciate snacks from
Grandma.
We don't know the next time
we’ll chow,
but we know what we’re
supposed to shoot.
I've got my compass on my first belt
loop to the left and my
flashlight
attached to my Kevlar.
Dog tags stick to my chest
like a sunburn.
Something is moving. I nudge my battle
Something is moving. I nudge my battle
buddy. Quick as a rabbit
he wakes and gets his weapon
in focus.
It’s the sergeant through the
kill zone scope.
He says we did a good job on
our shift.
We get to move to another
hole,
a five star hole. It's got
extra sandbags.
Bio: Grambi Dora served served 4 years of active duty
in the Army from June 2005 to June 2009. Hee graduated from Indiana University
in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in General Studies, with concentrations in
English and Psychology. He works full time at the Indianapolis Veterans Affairs
Medical Center. He enjoys writing, playing guitar and doing community service.