It was a brief respite
From the hard work
And harsh horrors
Of the daily routine
It was the warm comfort of home
Steaming into the cold night
Wraiths of scent and flavor
Drifting through the enemy air
It was Shared ’round low fires
That reflected off the rolled wire
Glinting like stars in the darkness
Amid the raucous din of the mess tent
The clank of tin cups and mess pans
Replaced that of rolling treads
The rumbling death
That hunted down the small groups of men
Praying under the Aspen
Laughter, that medicine so rare
Played like wind through the camp
And peace for a moment was here
The food, always to be remembered
Was the only reminder
That they were still men
For a night
If only for a night
They could sleep
Dedicated to my Father Lee Roy Jarrett, 359th Co. engineers U.S. Army, 1941-1946