Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Things They Carried


 For the most part they carried themselves with poise,
 A kind of dignity
Lighting a joint and tracking its passage from man to man
"Stay away from drugs. No joke, they'll ruin your day every time."

They crawled under tunnels and walked point and advanced under fire
Too frightened to be cowards 
Sweet pain, then evacuation to Japan
Forget it
They were tough

We all got problems 
He was a soldier, after all
He would show strength
He understood

Henry Dobbins ate a tropical chocolate bar
Ted Lavender popped a tranquilizer 
Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha
The things they carried varied by misson
The things they carried were largely determined by necessity

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