Changing of Years

CHANGING OF YEARS The darkness overwhelms sitting on an old com tower well into the Plain of Reeds watching for enemy movement Using bunkers of a firebase long deserted and long rotted two bunkers remain intact The ARVN are very frightened their bunker re-enforced We three not paying attention our bunker is the old TOC holes show partial damage openings are our escape route A canal is just below me having a deep and fast current yet moving with the ocean tides even this close to Cambodia The last second of this year the night lights up with flares a thin horizon in the distance colour of base camps reflected from Tay Ninh around to My Tho A near perfect half circle projected light from far away soldiers they paint a glimpse of civilisation an impossible distance from us the world feels light years away I notice the darkness around us we are outside the circle of light outside every thing we know Our location an envelope of space infinitely stretching beyond hope The flares now lost in a new year darkness now melded together. our darkness is so much deeper Our universe of this nothingness drawing those very dark thoughts the World is gone and home gone So hard to breathe this nothingness I feel darkness penetrate my soul inevitably the dark will overwhelm will hold me regardless of new light the darkness held forever in my soul