Pissing in pairs
before stringing the wire
for our night camp perimeter
as evening comes nearer,
we’re pissing in pairs
while passing the grass,
back to back of course.
no need to compare
to snicker or stare,
but as we’re taking our leak
we may inadvertently peek.
we’re breathing in deeply the sweet air
from these smokes we rolled with care.
we’ve got all the weed that we need
wrapped in Zig-Zag papier
that we sealed with some licks & an artistic twist.
then it’s lit with a match from our C-rations kit.
if Charlie is watching he’s not going to tell us
but there is a good chance he can smell us —
in that acrid whizz that rains its American stain
and in the grass with that stench of flavored air,
as the GIs in passing are toking/just smoking
while pissing in pairs.
Lupe’s Bio
I was drafted in 1968, and though trained as an Operating Room Tech, I served in Vietnam, Oct. 1969 – Sept. 1970 and was assigned basic Medic tasks: patrols, convoys, penicillin shots to naughty soldiers, etc. After Army, I returned to work as a librarian in Houston Tx and after various moves, ended up in Bellevue NE as director of their library. I retired after 25 years, in 2014 and now had time to participate in the Veteran Writers’ group that meets in Omaha, NE.
