when I popped the top
a burp of root beer
floated
pure caramel sass
then
time peeled backward
and followed
that first deliberate sip
to an exotic land
my small hands
reached for the treat
spread out before me
a cheeseburger in the desert
with the bottle next to it
just as brown
to wash it all down
April is Military Brat month, and I am one . The other day I opened a drink , and it took me back to 9 years old at a 1970's military golf course dinner counter on Incirlik AFB ( where my dad was stationed in the Air Force) .I had a taste of America in the desert that afternoon in the middle of Turkey .