Fall In Line Poem by O.S. Brooks

In memory I count constellations
Throwing star-light God-bless-you’s toward Iraq
My lover is there...
With the smell of ammunition and perfume,
She throws memories of love toward the ground
And tends to make-shift guns fight
Where back alley street lights no longer shine toward prayer
My lover is there...
Braving heat un-imaginable
Sleeping with less comfort than most
So, we can boast our brave new world
We stay in touch sending distant rock-a-byes through lines of ink
Where love does cost a thing,
And mail is her greatest joy
She fears I’m cheating
I feel her stress.
With every meeting
We both feel blessed
She whispers “end this drama now” melodies in my left ear
That sends my emotions back to Bragg
At night when the moon caresses our thoughts
We miss one another like fall misses her leaves in the summer
Like sand misses the rain over Egypt
And a soldier longs for battle once at peace
Our continental love stretches its imaginary arms out toward peace
Yet, peace never hugs back
Love is a battle field over seas in Iraq
She claims lives like no other
I miss my sweet, deep, staff sergeant October
She’s on my mind as if the rest of my dreams are over
My lover is there...

Standing toward God facing hopeless fate
Where men hurry fast, to fall in line, and wait