Dawn's Road Poem by Thomas Thompson

Dawn's Road

Surrounded by dense green this cool predawn morn
A slight mist in the air
The jungle on either side silent impenetrable

It's lush serenity deceiving
As I slowly methodically stepped upon
The apex of this lonely dusty road

The epicenter of my universe
Red puffs exploding at every step
Humidity a wet blanket heavy upon my skin

My eyes focused solely on the road ahead
The cloying taste of fear
Sticking to the back of my throat

The steady whining tone as angry bees trapped in my ears
As I resolutely swept the road left to right right to left
In a deliberate arc as far as the mine sweeper could reach

Back and forth
Back and forth
The rhythm monotonous

The jeep behind crawling along in low gear
Irritated at the snail's pace I was walking
The gunner's eyes nervously pacing the jungle on either side

St. Christopher twined around my neck
As I prayed hoped the whining grating pitch would not start screaming
Impossible to ignore as panic sets in and your stomach twists into knots

Was that God walking beside me
'Tho realizing even then God's armor false
Knowing if the calm silent jungle suddenly spat venomous green and red

The next few seconds would seem an eternity
My life flashing in my mind
As I ached for the tender embrace of the one love yet to be

All else truly unimportant
To a young man
Not yet old enough to vote

Tommy