The Rain keeps coming
More thick than strong
Washing the chemical hurt from this hill
Whose side we huddle on

I release the reassuring pressure
Of my fingertip on the trigger there
I let loose my death grip
Hug my weapon like a teddy bear

I can’t say I feel safe
More embraced by a God unseen
Surely the Vietcong will not violate
This night of washing clean

©Tom Puetz 2022