The Other Soc Trang

Please, doc, god,
call me a drunk a lush
a loser drinker no good bum,
but don’t say PTSD,
it can’t be PTSD,
I was at Soc Trang
and nothing much happened
to me, not the real stuff
that makes you swallow
your puke so normal people
can’t see how screwed up you are;
the booby traps,
you remember those
don’t you,
and all the Charlies
every at night
moving around like
they owned the damn
country or something,
weren’t you there
at Soc Trang
the night we were mortared
sure you were there
you screamed with your
mouth closed jammed
under the bunk
as they dropped and dropped
 incoming
 incoming
 incoming;
what’s the matter
you only remember
daylight and driving supplies
around in the steam bath
delta;
thought you were there same
as me,
must have been
the other Soc Trang
where not much happened.
 

Constance Lee Menefee
Copyright 2000

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