A Pucker Factor of Zero by Sean Kassab

A Pucker Factor of Zero

Incoming rockets
Falling
Down
            Down
                        Down
To the US Army Barracks
Where they
Pound
            Pound
                        Pound
And the people scared and screaming
From the
Sound
            Sound
                        Sound
Of the
BOOM!
                 BOOM!
                                  BOOM!
Are running
Round
            Round
                        Round
Some people started yelling
HIT THE
GOUND!
                    GROUND!
                                          GROUND!
But for some it was too late
They looked like
Cheap
            Ground
                          Round
We answered in like kind
And bombed the
Town
            Town
                       Town
Until the smoke had cleared
And bodies could be
Found
            Found
                        Found
When the fight was over
They gave the
All
            Clear
                         Sound
So we all went back to bed
So we could
Lay
         Back
                   Down

This is an attempt at trying something new, not sure what yet. I do that from time to time so don’t beat me up too badly. It is a poem written about an actual artillery strike that happened at Taji AB in early 2011. We received 54 rounds of 107mm rockets and 80mm mortars in 30 minutes directly to the living area across from the medevac helipad. Our paladins (155mm artillery units) returned fire until the barrage stopped and after the accountability and casualty reports were done there was nothing for us to do but go back to bed. Another scar, another day in the life…