R.M. “Cook” Barela

THE SMELL OF WAR
(The Story of a Night Ambush)

We sat in the silence of the night
Hearing voices in the dark
As trees took on their sinister shapes
And the road reflected the moon’s eerily glow

No concertina wire, grenades or claymore’s out in front
No other Marines standing watch or at our side
Jungle drums sounded their cadence
We listened before, but now we heard them

The voices came closer, and fear stole our breath
Charlie concealed in the shadows of the night
Sweat burned the corners of our eyes
A taunting salty embrace filled with death at our side

Motionless we listened to whispering voices
Fear echoing in half-empty canteens
We searched for moving shadows hidden in darkness of the night
We smelled them and they smelled our fear

All night, they stayed at our side
dozens of them shuffling and laughing
All that night, they walked and talked
And we stayed where we were
and embraced the darkness as light

Moments of numbness, as drums went silent
Filled the night with the terror of darkness
The fear and smell of war, death and destruction
They didn’t know where we were
And they didn’t know we were scared

Then the morning sun gave us life for another day
And because the enemy didn’t know where we were
And because we hadn’t ventured out to find them in the dark.
Because silence and fear kept us apart

They lived to do what little gook soldiers do during the day
And we filled sandbags in the sun
And because of fear
We all lived another day

©Copyright August 2004 by R.M. “Cook” Barela