ANOTHER MARK ON THE CALENDER


I remember the trees
The quiet ride in the back of the truck
The back of tarp cover open
And the cold
20 degree winds coming in on us
The twists and turns
Sliding from side to side
On wooden benches
Just another morning
On the way to the hill

Breakfast not quite settled
Eggs and SOS with grits
Still a little strange for a Californian
But it satisfies my appetite
I'm tired of seeing green everywhere
The clothes I wear to color of the truck
Camouflage is an odd but nice change
Through the guarded gate
We jump out of the truck
Into the mud so much for spit shined boots

I look around surrounded by the fence
Another cloudy and rainy day
Off in the distance the ruins of a castle
Then the valley below
I walk up the road
To my communications van
Voices joking last nights shift ready for home
In 23 hours that will be me
Cows eating grass near the perimeter

This has been home for over a year
Hard to believe so much time has passed
The walk is slow no hurry
I climb the ladder and open the door
Inside is all I need an ashtray
The radios and silence
The morning routine
Inspect and test
Talk to friends miles away


Michael V Hechtman