The Old Vet (Saipan)

[mnaz]

I still remember that guy,
the random guy in that bar.
He said he was 82 but looked 50,
five foot five or six, a quiet man.

He told me of the war he fought.
He fought against Japan in 1944
on the usually idyllic isle of Saipan
and his troop was nearly overrun.

He told me of the irrational speed
and lulls, too random at the front.
He told me about the flames
and inhuman eyes.

[mnaz]

True story. I met this guy in a bar in a little town in the desert. It was near a military base. He actually invited me to his house, and maybe I should've gone. This was about 20 years ago. I'm pretty sure I wrote about it back then.