Coffee Break

The L. T. was green,
And equally mean,
Full of swagger and bluster,
And all the authority he could muster.
Bold in command,
This brash little man,
Who strode all around
Like he owned the damn ground--
Barking orders and spittle,
Never regarding how little
Regard in which he was held.

It was the midnight shift,
And L. T. in a tiff,
Cause his coffee had run out.
The L. T. with a shout,
Demanded a fresh pot be made--
No matter if the deployment was delayed.

In stepped the Sergeant broad and tall,
Striding to the Lieutenant who suddenly seemed small.
“The troops have a duty to move this line.
Your coffee can wait--this ain’t the time.
“And never raise your voice to one of mine.”
The Sergeant stared a moment then turned on a dime,
And made himself a cup of joe taking his sweet ass time
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025


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Date: 9/16/2025 5:02:00 AM
It's all about that first cuppa in the morning. Men in authority are often hypocrites. Nothing new there. Nice write Danny.
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Woody Avatar
Tom Woody
Date: 9/16/2025 8:55:00 AM
Ha! If so he sent the wrong message
Derden Avatar
Danny Derden
Date: 9/16/2025 7:37:00 AM
I hope my pen didn't color the Sgt as the hypocrite...I can see how him making a fresh pot for his own enjoyment could be seen that way though...his intention was to put an exclamation point on his talk with the LT.
Date: 9/15/2025 8:41:00 PM
This is humorous and vivid. The story captures tension, authority, and a clever twist with a strong sense of character. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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Derden Avatar
Danny Derden
Date: 9/16/2025 7:38:00 AM
All based on actual happenings. I was there.
Date: 9/15/2025 8:24:00 PM
Love this, especially the tongue-in-cheek ending. Reminds me of that world war 2 tv series by Spielberg where the trainee instructor couldn't read a map despite thinking he was King Kong.
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Derden Avatar
Danny Derden
Date: 9/16/2025 7:41:00 AM
I was that Sergeant...I had stopped by to check on the deployment processing line about 0100 hours and found the LT berating one of my troops over coffee while a couple hundred troops were still waiting to be processed for deployment...NO BUENO!!!
Date: 9/15/2025 4:22:00 PM
Creative work you have penned. I could see the scene taking shape from your lines. Thank you for sharing your work with us. Sara K
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Derden Avatar
Danny Derden
Date: 9/16/2025 7:43:00 AM
I wrote this some time after the event. I was there and thought the scene should be captured in verse for posterities sake...lol
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