Hurry Up, And Wait(More Thoughts Than Poetry) Poem by O.S. Brooks

We used to just sit there
Sweat beading down our foreheads
Walking like penguins in chemical gear

I used to...

Sit on my cot and read or write

I used to...

Work out a lot to keep in shape

I used to...

Hope that my wife was being true
Pray as if time was against me
And keep writing letters from Kuwait

Heard stories about soldiers
Whose wives were unfaithful?
And made the stars promise me
That I’d come home to better
I tried, with the butt of my rifle
To stay awake for three days straight
Sand everywhere
In places sand shouldn’t be
We got used to it
Didn’t mind food with the extras

We...

Beat the hell out of each other to pass the time

We...

Tried to pretend the war had a purpose

We...

Wrote letters as if our hands were possessed
My life was unsteady
My mind was a mess

I wrote to my family
They wrote back
There letters shortened after a while
But they were enough

There’s nothing more important to a soldier
Than receiving mail from home to keep spirits up
My motivation died and so did I
So, when the plane landed in Savannah, Ga
And let off all it had taken to Kuwait
Just note…
A few minds were still left over there
And as I slept beside my spouse something was different
I missed the burning sands
I missed the threat of war
I couldn’t think of any other way to live
One night I crawled in to my sleeping bag just to fall asleep
In the kitchen with the oven on

I dreamed...

Love could start over

I dreamed...

Rumors weren’t true

I dreamed...

I was back over there
At least then, I knew where the enemy was