Poems: The Rifle, Turn

Credit: Civilianpublicservice.org

The Rifle

Company left picnic ground

with all the trash behind.

What some humpers throw away

would really blow your mind.

____________

And Charlie’s one with Nature.

He scavenges the shit.

But sniper team is waiting

for any they can get.

_____________

Two hundred meter easy shoot

for those up in the trees.

Silenced rifles never heard.

Favorable the breeze.

______________

Likeness of the hand of God

will swat them on the ground.

Eleven will taste the pain

and seven will be found.

_______________

So walk away, pack away.

Pretend you never saw

what happens in the jungle

when the rifle is God’s Law.

(C) John Steinmeyer

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Turn

They counted what was

when we were in war.

Counted what wasn’t

and tallied the score.

Said we were winning

and we fought some more.

We turn.

Set us in ambush

of those we don’t know.

Sweat us in jungle.

Let hate and fear grow.

Sent us a soda

for every dead show.

We turn.

Beer or some whiskey

for us to unwind.

Cigarette packet

of shit to blow mind.

Eraser of Deros

and leave all behind.

________

And suddenly, we knew

not where to turn.

(C) John Steinmeyer

1. Other Side
2. Sniffer
3. The Fish
4. L.C, and L.C. 2 –Two gone, waiting for number three
5. Poems- Sour (1) Sealed (2)
6. Poems- In The Grinder (1) The Teller (2) 
7. More to come

John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.

Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. Two poems from a collection that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. See other links above for more. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.

Poems: In the Grinder, The Teller

In the Grinder

Camouflage and pockets.

Eyeballs in the sockets.

Gunfire and the rockets

in the grinder.

_________________

Silence and scope.

Liquor and the dope.

Whatever is the hope

in the grinder.

_________________

Medals in a war.

Boys that are no more.

Tally board for score

in the grinder.

_________________

Sodas for a kill.

Compensate the bill.

Forget about a will

in the grinder.

_________________

Life until the wire.

Dead men under fire.

Sex but no desire

in the grinder.

__________________

Pack it all away.

Nothing there to say.

Forget about each day

in the grinder.

(C) John Steinmeyer

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The Teller

I am told by the teller

that my good friend is dead.

The teller keeps on talking.

I hear no more what’s said.

_____________

Shock wave numbs my heart and soul

while teller’s standing there.

Bitterness now dams my tears.

Pretense now hides my care.

______________

For the moment I now breathe.

But do not find my breath.

I picture face of my friend

but cannot picture death.

_______________

Good God, I wrote a letter

two weeks before this date

to the parents of my friend!

Now everything’s too late.

________________

So I grab my gear and rifle

and keep it all inside.

I have no time to accept

that my good friend has died.

W.S   K.I.A.

(C) John Steinmeyer

1. Other Side
2. Sniffer
3. The Fish
4. L.C, and L.C. 2 –Two gone, waiting for number three
5. Poems- Sour (1) Sealed (2)
6. More to come

John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.

Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. This will be the first post of a collection of poems that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.

Poems- Sour, Sealed

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Poem One: Sour

His game of life is over.

His shirt’s pulled by his head.

He lays upon a gunjeep.

He’s one that we made dead.

____________

In his throat is calling card

tore off of sniper shirt.

So lifeless lays his body

but we still do it dirt.

____________

The patch of our Division

will tell for those who see

that we are mean and deadly

when we meet enemy.

____________

And say we have no feeling

for those that we pull down.

Revel in his death today

and strut and prance around.

____________

Then body’s dropped in Village

at thirty miles per hour.

Pushed off the hood of gunjeep

by boys that have turned sour.

(c) John Steinmeyer

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Poem Two: Sealed

War is against everything

that we were taught as kids.

War takes Mother Nature

and sends her on the skids.

___________

Truth and honesty is lost.

Compassion’s buried noon.

Denial is breath today

and we all learn it soon.

____________

Terror swirls in cup to drink

as Death extends a hand.

Loneliness and bitter sleep

as we lay in this land.

_____________

Reason never touch our day

and questions are soon lost.

Buried in our minds this way

are those who pay the cost.

______________

Tears no quake of bitter kids

that stare with lizard eyes.

Sealed and soaked in fractured brain

is war and all its lies.

(C) John Steinmeyer

 ____________________________

1. Other Side
2. Sniffer
3. The Fish
4. L.C, and L.C. 2 –Two gone, waiting for number three
5. More to Come

John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.

Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. This will be the first post of a collection of poems that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.

L.C. and L.C.2- Two Gone, Waiting for Number Three

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L.C.

“Chicken man is down”

yelled soldier with a grin.

“Hope fucker burns in Hell

places he’s put us in.”

_________________

We had just returned

to gather more supplies.

“L.C.’s chopper is down.”

“The smoke is where it lies.”

_____________________

“Saddle up, move quickly.”

“Catch chopper number one.”

Recon, saddle two through four.”

“Get going guys, have fun.”

_______________________

Up into the midday air

four choppers quickly flew.

Twenty-five of us secured

down chopper and its crew.

_________________________

Pilot with two broken legs.

Co-pilot broken back.

Huey chopper is destroyed

and one L.C. we lack.

Hooray!

(C) John Steinmeyer

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L.C.2

Another L.T. Colonel

has come to take the place

of asshole in the chopper

who landed on his face.

___________________________

But this one is so different.

He cares about his men.

He’s got his shit together.

We’re doing good again.

______________________________

Thank God there are no screw ups

like all we had before.

There is no damn distinction

being casualties of war.

________________________________

This L.C.’s a humper.

He comes out in the shit.

But thirty days of humpin’

will get our L.C. hit.

_____________________________________

This time there is sorrow.

We lost a good L.C.

Now we sit and wonder

and wait for number three.

Damn!

(c) John Steinmeyer

1. Other Side
2. Sniffer
3. The Fish
4. More to Come

John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.

Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. This will be the first post of a collection of poems that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.

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The Fish

Credit-Replayphotos.com

The Fish

“G.I, G.I., come to me.”

“I have something to show.”

Ten dow for good Seiko watch.”

Don’t let your buddies know.”

---

The fish goes to his pocket

and the deal is now through.

Mount up on the deuces,

there are other things to do.

---

G.I. with new wristwatch

can only sit and smile

of the deal he made today

as he looks at its dial.

---

Shit, there’s something funny!

It’s painted on by hand.

All its jewels are missing

so he throws it in the sand.

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Laughter spins upon him.

His buddies tell him so

the trick is but an old one.

And on to war we go.

(C) John Steinmeyer

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More of John’s Poem from his collection titled – The rain

1. Other Side
2. Sniffer
3. More to Come

John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.

Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. This will be the first post of a collection of poems that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.

 

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