Trained to Kill

Dominate the House

The birth of my nephew is what brought me back to...

STORIES FROM CAMP 6, Chapter 1

THE RED HAT ( Dedicated to W.J.Martin)...

Written by Max Booth III

Monday, 25 August 2008

I got drafted at the age of nineteen,
One year later, I was bleeding out the spleen,

Easy learning when it comes to the .45,
Twelve little friends to keep me alive,

Rifle loaded, I was ready for some action,
Then before my eyes people blown up in fractions,

I mistook a little boy for the enemy,
Could have sworn his name was … Charlie,

Bang! Bang! there goes another fatality,
Lookie there folks; the village of casualties,

It ain’t my luck down in the mud and the muck,
A hail of bullets flew by and one struck,

Blood trickles down my flesh and bone,
I get a medal and I’m on my way home,

I lost my arm in the Vietnam War,
I lost my penis to a Vietnamese *****,

I’m sick of blacking out almost everyday,
I don’t like this monster that I now portray,

I lost my wife when I crashed the Chevy,
Now wherever I go my soul is heavy,

Visions of the jungle are in my head,
When I’m awake, I beg to be dead,

I gained some respect when I became a vet,
But I lost my brains when I played roulette ...

Keyword: Trained to Kill

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Comments (19)

Posted by Sad Sara 2008-08-25 13:05:44 .... Bang! Bang! there goes another fatality, Lookie there folks; the village of casualties, It ain’t my luck down in the mud and the muck, A hail of bullets flew by and one struck, Blood trickles down my flesh and bone, I get a medal and I’m on my way home, Wow Max, you've done very well with the disdainful intensity setting the tone here. This lines in paricular. Yeah, these are really felt Very cool Poem Hey, have yer ever read a verse titled, 'Lalalalalalla'? And if so, how many times? Keep well, 'Anna + Report this comment
Posted by allmine 2008-08-25 14:49:57 .... Oh this looks and sounds so awesome together. Great poem Max about the atrocities of war. You shouldn't know about this at your age. But you rally captured the hatred...awesome job! + Report this comment
Posted by Behind_the_Mask 2008-08-25 15:33:09 !@#$$#@! Wow max you write poetry, I might as well give up now. From a first hand perspective at being around a vet I have to say that there is a lot of respect for them but their desire for their own death is greater than anything that is known. If they feel like they are useless they are driven to the brink. Saddening. Great descriptions keep up your excellent work. + Report this comment
Posted by lemon 2008-08-25 16:42:13 .... Good story Max. Both my uncle and my father in law were in Vietnam, and they have both good stories from their bases there, and bad stories from the battles. Good read. =] + Report this comment
Posted by harmattan 2008-08-25 16:54:11 TTK Max, you are an awesome poet. I liked this so much, and hated it, which is also beneficial to its kudos. Hope you will read my "Internationale" Kind regards harmattan + Report this comment
Posted by nick711 2008-08-25 16:55:21 .... This was a very memorable poem. You really did a good job at painting a picture of that monster that was the Vietnam war. Good work, Max. + Report this comment
Posted by Dirkin 2008-08-25 20:11:40 .... I sense from the narrator a kind of resigned sarcasm about the trauma he has suffered. I know I wasnt supposed to laugh but this line "I lost my penis to a Vietnamese whore" cracked me up. I could see this poem being played to some metal music. + Report this comment
Posted by Terry Collett 2008-08-26 02:21:32 .... No one writes couplets as good as Alexander Pope, but this was good and the use carries over the storyline well without it sounding old hat. I enjoyed the poem, the layout and the skillful use of the form. + Report this comment
Posted by garyowen 2008-08-26 03:36:52 .... This is well written max. my best line is 'I’m sick of blacking out almost everyday, I don’t like this monster that I now portray.' There is so much war that I think they should simply drop the Gulf, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and call it plain old 'WAR.' + Report this comment
Posted by Ashutosh 2008-08-26 08:00:57 .... Good start. Good topic. Some good lines but slack at the end. till this line: 'I get a medal and I’m on my way home" it is perfect. Beyond this, it loses it. + Report this comment
Posted by Something Indecent 2008-08-28 19:26:10 .... Awesome poem dude. I can totally see this as a pixies song. I even made up a melody in my head. You'd keep the music quiet up until charlie and then bust in with a somewhat raspy melody picking up the beat for the next four lines then bring it back down. Man I wish I could help write this song. Good luck with it though. You've already got really good lyrics. :) + Report this comment
Posted by Pilgrim 2008-09-05 17:33:53 .... Another good poem with good rythm and flow. I guess this is untimely for me to read, especially since I'm about to join the Army. Anyway, good job. + Report this comment
Posted by Bianki Torres 2008-09-05 18:13:51 Different You have very interesting ideas But you could have used more imagery Yet your story concept i really liked.what i'm trying to say is "what's life like as the monster?" understand?... + Report this comment
Posted by r.e.potter 2008-09-06 17:48:48 Hey Pilgrim,,,,nice job These are poems that I enjoy the most to read,,,easy to understand stuff. You know the poems where your brain doesn't hurt afterwards. John Wayne is an all American hero, thanks for popping him on the screen for me...now I wanna watch one of his movies. + Report this comment
Posted by marchintothesea 2008-09-14 20:27:58 .... "Visions of the jungle are in my head, When I’m awake, I beg to be dead" Whoa. That was really powerful. Great job with the poem; it makes you think and it sticks with you. + Report this comment
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Last Updated ( Monday, 25 August 2008 )

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