We were out on recon,
high in the mountains.
& it was cold,
cold as hell.

The twinkling stars
were out in abundance
but offered no solace,
for this was a dangerous place,
one wrong step
& you could take a header.
But even worse,
if you got captured,
they'd cut your ******* head off
& make a video
praising Allah.

I thank God,
I made it back,
fully intact.
But I can't say for sure
if I didn't leave
part of my head
up there,
somewhere
on that cold mountain.