So I am chaperoning the winter dance
At little Sage Ridge School in Reno, Nevada.
Speaking with a dad who is a veteran
of America's misadventures in the Middle East.

He tells me a story of a recently arrived soldier
Who awakens one morning and begins to dress
But forgets to shake his boots out first
And inserts his foot directly into a desert scorpion.

He lets out a blood curdling scream
That awakens the entire base
People come running
His agony lasts a long while.

The veteran dad also tells me
Explosive devices sometimes land near the base
Emergency procedures kick in
People are protected.

What can you do if one actually lands
Inside the base, near where you are living and sleeping?
I ask somewhat naively.
Bend over and kiss it, he says.