The Female Soldier



Comfortably nestled in her bosom’s warmth
nursed her M-16 rifle. Moment before,
he thought it cried to be picked-up,
and she wondered why
it smelled somehow like baby powder.
She looked at the list
of who she was:
wife,
mother,
soldier,
lover,
friend,
daughter,
sister,
                                        myself
--was always left off.

The list of things to do:
counsel soldiers
attend meeting
pay daycare
buy food
inspect squad
prepare uniform
prepare for deployment
write Mom, Dad, Sis, best friend
attend little league practice
marriageduties,
                                         while
her
wedding hand stroked
from nozzle to butt
her baby
                                          --in cold steel.

Camouflage make-up
in brown and black
adorned her face and masked her tears.
Casting her head upward
she sighed,
then she smiled, and smiled
"RrrrrrrrrrR!!" she said
and smiled some more.

By
James A. Porter



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