Empty days

Five young men,
no older than twenty-one,
sitting around a bare table
on cheap palstic chairs,
exchanging stories about sergeants,
field camps, PT, turn-outs,
route marches, exercises,
comparing how siong their training was.

Every story has been told
a million times before
by other young men
haplessly serving their nation.

Every story has been told
a million times before
by other young men
idly killing their time.

416 more days to ORD.



-3 February 2008