Night Vision Orientation

Doors close on M-16 chatter
from the night fire range.
The training cadre Adonis
starts the show.
Four companies stand at attention,
boxed by walls blacked with silhouettes.

Report me to your Mama or Congressman
and I'll deny every word.
Sit, trainees!
Kill the lights!
You think you'll be different.
You won't.
In this building,
I teach you to see things in the dark.

Once you find your buddy
with his belly slit open, head stuffed inside,
Listen up, trainees!
Look high on the wall to your right.
don't think you won't grab
the next VC villagers you find,
Except those of you
who are night blind,
chop off his prong,
stuff it up her box,
you should see silhouettes
of your enemy advancing.
hack off her tits,
ram them down his throat . . .
Look at them directly,
and they lose focus.
Think you won't
because you're Christian?
Therefore,
in night observation
I've seen it work
dozens of times.
of any
possible targets,
Give the fine Christian boy
the taste
you must always
look slightly
of taking God's power
of life and death
to one side,
shifting your eyes
into his own hands,
and
every few seconds,
left and right . . .
no fighting machine more terrible
walks this earth.

(c) Copyright R. S. Carlson 1994

First published in Viet Nam Generation 6.1-2 (October 1994):92.

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