A Poem by Mary Rorro
Tunnel Rats
I slithered down dank
tunnels of Cu Chi
my body small
mad muscles lean
The mission:
search and destroy
my 45’ll snuff out
Charlie’s boys
Not only guns and rifles
do I need to slip, but
the poisoned fangs
of Cong’s punji sticks
I turn the corner facing
jet eyes darting
back at me
Fear would be Chuck’s
fatal flaw
One breath’s wait cost him
my pistol’s first draw
A second VC was
prepared to click
his Soviet special sought
to fetch me with
its searing pitch, but I’ll
be damned if I’ll feel its
slam in this Devil’s Ditch
A bullet missed my
grime-painted face
in this crazed claustrophobic
space
But today was not
my day to die
I would live
for another dive
deep into war’s
dark divide
