Attack (Okinawa 1945) Poem by Patricia Denise Newman

Sailing homeward from patrol
beneath a cloudy sky
my watchful eye suddenly saw
black spots appearing way up high

Japanese aircraft heading for us
spitting venom as they came
determination to destroy us
with their kamikaze plane

Down they came like hoards of locusts
engines screaming out their rage
pilots intently focused
their deadly mission to engage

Our guns boomed out their answer
our aircraft launched into the fray
flack and smoke and flames erupted
trying to keep the Japs at bay

Their Zeros kept on coming
crashing on the heaving deck
the pilots lives forsaken
their planes a total wreck

Our ship was badly damaged
some others sadly lost
this battle continued onward
with such a high and needless cost