Best Boot Camp Poems
Horrible, my map upended our time with boot camp son.
Horrible to get back to base, not be caught, had to run.
Horrible, to see Mom hurried into hospice, her hours few.
Horrible when we heard last sweet breaths, as time flew.
Horrible when a tree splintered the roof of our deck.
Horrible, the tree balancing, just above hubby, in check.
Horrible when eggshells were underfoot, a bad spell.
Horrible the slamming doors, curses and raising hell.
Horrible the gall stones and bladder, ended grand visit.
Horrible the nightmarish nettles that percoset gifted.
Horrible heaven’s so far away, like pot of gold source.
Horrible, like vagabonds, earthlings veer off course.
Horrible, the end of a savory and sweet meal.
Horrible the rancid leftovers of mortal ideals.
Horrible when poetry is no longer wielded, engaged.
Horrible when Armeggedon speaks, when war is waged.
A thousand voices
one thousand and one orders
boot camp is over
shaped like a boat,
a sock peeked out,
down under the rim.
a baby bootie,
a boot camp scootie,
befuddled the face,
bright red,
of a pale blond —
a mother on the side.
could have been undies
lining the sailor cap!
waterlogged laughter.
sea of despair.
however... i showed her up,
dereliction of my polished shoes.
barely an adult,
sneakering to hide
in the head,
luckily placed as a guest
in the gatehouse
and not out on my rear guard
or thrown in the brigg
for my lack of attention to detail.
the blond carries her family in a seabag
— not allowed —
can’t find the other sock.
9/3/2020
All In A Day Poetry Contest
Sponsor - William Kekaula
scootie means child that is between the stages of crawling and walking. Here I’m using it as a baby’s sock.
sneakering is a play on words as I had absentmindedly put on my sneakers
The day’s hot-the wind like a convection oven
Blows hot air in our faces.
My cap and gown insulates me
Baking me like a potato wrapped in aluminum foil
I desperately fan myself and look around
My eyes search for my peers and see;
The bros that survived school with me;
The others who shouldn't have;
The girls with memories already wet in their eyes;
The people I never met and will never know;
All desperately fanning themselves
In silence and in waiting.
We all are waiting for the same thing-
What's next to come.
For some it will be their names
For another a trip to boot camp
For many including myself- college
A couple can't wait to forget the tortures of high school
And a few will already be planning our high school reunion
because it was the best years of their life.
As I bow my head, not out of sadness,
but out of sheer defeat by the sun,
I scuff up my dress shoes in the clumpy grass of the field-
that just finished another infamous drawn out lacrosse season,
I'll be thinking about the 4 plus years, 8 seasons,
worth of drilling and conditioning I did in that very field and on the surrounding track,
With a flash of ivory across my sweating face
I'll be thinking about
All the nooks and crannies
that I sanctioned for the intimate meetings of my girlfriends
The times caught and not,
All the heartbreaks and rejections,
The friends made, the best friends kept, and the many lost.
The drama, stupidity, and immaturity,
Everything that was and used to be.
And, all this time spent waiting-preparing
for this one moment
You can't help but remember it all
And with one, final sweet goodby-
"NICHOLAS BELLO!"
My Comprehensive Learning Disabilities!
Began as child with always failing standardized test because I didn't learn like my fellow classmates did
I couldn't comprehend anything or retain anything either
I learned that I had a comprehensive learning disability, however, never was I placed in mentally challenged classes
I had a hard time barely passing my classes all throughout my school years and even in college
I learned that I had to use all three psychological learning types
auditory having to hear and listen to whatever is being taught to me
visual having to see whatever is being taught to me
kinesthetic having to actually write, do, mess up and be corrected or realize I was wrong and correct myself
I had and still have to do all three, in order to comprehend anything that I learned from reading books, being taught in classrooms
at home, on the jobsite, on two United States Of America's Navy ships, boot camp, college, love, relationships, churches and everywhere else as well
as a child and even an adolescent I taught myself to overcome it
becoming an adult I did all three of these whenever I wanted truly to learn something
I wrote down questions for tests on notecards read the questions and answers to myself and had three other people read them to me for several hours
my comprehensive disability then and even now we're surfaced, literal, occasionally figurative and metaphorical
as a thirty-three year old man, now it seems that memory, and my problems have worsened as well
because I every time I read something nowadays I cannot seem to recall it or even comprehend it either!
When can I come home my baby ask me
When mom can I be free
Your mistakes have got you here
Just hold on for a few weeks dear
I know it hard to be away
But you will come home someday
When mommy I want to come back with you
I know son I want you to come with me too
But it is not up to me it is up to you
You have to stay here till your treatment is threw
I will be with you all the way I will write and visit as often as i can
You have to be strong be mommy's little man
God will watch out for you when I can not
But even if I am not there your not forgot
So just hold on son it will be alright
You will be home soon so I can hug you thight
For my son who is away at a boot camp for boys right now because of his actions at school
he is bipolar and has add sometimes it is hard to watch what our children have to go threw
and know there is nothing you can do to help except for pray. and hope that time and love
will help. thanks to all my friends on the soup for giving me a place to vent my feelings some
it means alot to write and know it is heard. Thanks to all Nita
Hours of kick boxing
Eye lids on a constant sit up practice,
Blood flowing down through various yoga positions
Eye muscles are stretching
The lips lifting weights
Cells running on a treadmill,
After such a long boot camp
The mind ready for meditation.
That little boy who I used to tickle
And helped learn to tie his shoes,
Just called me up on the telephone
To give me the happy news.
That young boy who I taught to wrestle
And watched him practice football,
From half way across the world
Made me proud with just one call.
That young man whom I saw graduate
From High School then Navy boot camp,
Just phoned to let me know
I am going to become a Gramps.
How is it that this little tyke who only yesterday,
Was riding upon my shoulders is an expectant father today?
How is it that my hair has turned, from black and then to gray,
And now that I am even older has completely fallen away?
The tears from my right eye, are tears of pride and joy,
The tears from my left eye, miss my little boy.
I was just getting used to the fact, that I’m old enough to be a dad
When I get news a grandchild is on its way – oh, yikes and egad!
I guess it could be worse – this news I did receive;
Knowing it makes my father a GREAT-Grandfather, gives me some reprieve.
A new generation, like it or not, is on its way;
“Congratulations, Son”, is all there is to say.
nineteen-eighty-three
summer boot camp Orlando
pushups made wet decks
Here we hid when we heard
A knock strongly---a sudden clattered upon the ground
Everyone indoor shrieked, trembled
Out... out..... we heard
They separated males from females
Sans bother how small we were
They guided us to the boot camp field
Gave us lives and death train. Rubbed ours and
Their faces with slurry that as dark as ackee seed
Handed each with weapons. To mamas males were living dead
1939th of september to1945th of september
The days were long gone, but still remember
Told us show mercy to whom fall by your way you are dead
Victory it our goal. Words of venom and
Drug infused made our heart to strong as harden wood
Mansions become ash by fingers tamped
Animate breathless by stabbed
Stick. Raise countries devoured by swallowing lips
May the old and youth of this and coming generations
Not experience such; the heroes and
Heroines that go to rest nurture as cradle in right hand.
An interview with a veteran who happens to a victim.
As far as I was concerned I was pushed throughout my life.
Pushed by people who thought they were harder than me.
YOU PUSH ME, I PUSH BACK.
I was an angry kid. Coming from 4 children and a single
Mother made matters a bit worst.
The anger caused a fearlessness in me.
I nearly took my LAST breath after being pushed into a
swimming pool at 5years old.
LUCKILY I had a guardian angel who rescued me.
NEXT EPISODE:
I had a BAD fight on the SCHOOL BUS.
Saw BLOOD didn't even care.
She provoked the FIGHT. Well I was SUSPENDED
OR EXPELLED. I didn't miss that school, at all.
Survived that episode.
NOW, to a 13 year old what was better than being a GANG MEMBER.
NOTHING!!
We had occasional conflicts with other gangs.
YEAH, graduated from eigth grade and moved on.
Well, high school was a blur.
I developed a few CRUSHES, then graduated and moved on.
C STUDENT.
JOINED the NAVY directly after ward's.
Went into BOOT CAMP TRAINING.
GOT IN GOT OUT.
'TIL this day I STILL CAN'T SWIM.
the NAVAL TRAINING grounds had an Olympic sized
Swimming POOL 12 ft. Deep.
Had a difficult time preventing my own DROWNING.
The instructors forced everybody to jump into the cold water early in
The #!@#= MOURNING.
Well I was in the reserves after I graduated.
YEAH, so i GOT OUT,
a few years afterwards
Now, I'm here writing and DISCOVERING MYSELF.
First, baptism. Next, he vowed defense for the U.S. after graduation
Really, this kid could take San Diego's boot camp
At age nine he left Belize, then worked two jobs while in high school
Now he's back in Belize with haunting of Dessert Storm -
Zestfully, he built homes, does electrical and plumbing.
The truth is, duodenal ulcer won't stop meddling
How is this Veteran to obtain benefits?
Every Honorable Veteran, deported, has his or her story.
Valley of the shadow of death was no joke
Even on the U.S.S. Saratoga, he listened, and heard God spoke
Ten plus six of his buddies, lost their lives in Dessert Storm
Even so, he defended this land he learned to love
Right now, he'd say; GOD BLESS THE U.S. OF A
At most, in Belize, folks calls him "Yankee"
Notify me how soon, my son in the U.S. can shine.
*
Your true dearest point when you harbored Dear dreams
And then you discover life’s not what it seems
Like abandoning hopes at an age Fresh and Young
Did you have an idea that it’ll last so long
For you left your dear home at only 18
And sent to Iraq at only 19
And been left forever with permanent scars
Even though you shone through with your sweet talent bright
So why did you enter with a 4.0 GPA?
When the Scholarships showered you at a Multitudinous rate
So Bright you could Major in any Subject you wished
And still Financial Aid Mounds till your Graduate Degree
So what did you think of that Beautiful Voice?
If you entered in Youth at least College Choir was a choice
Now Stubborn Hard winds stole most of the Treasure
And the New,Mature Life Obliterated your Thoughts of Such Pleausure
So what did you think of the Vagabound Life?
While you prized poetry collection on the shelf gathered dust
One which some though very mature, others overly ideal
Therefore what crossed Your Mind when you Witnessed the Real?
Did the snobbish streak strike you in diverse circumstance?
Did you feel they were commoners and you better than best?
With the dear loving members holding Fancy Degrees
And did you look forward to the end of ordeal?
And while at boot camp did you attempt to contain
Your own disillusionment and a deep poignant stain
At that tender age did you still fight your tears?
All the while duty called you to conquer much greater fears
All this Strain and Attack plagued you with horrible Nightmares
Not to Mention it gave you the disorder of stress
Yet the terrors continued for seven long years
For you definitely felt life to you wasn’t fair
Even though you gave Your all for hard won GI Bill
Did ever hold thoughts that this path’d be so Grim?
Though the dear teaching program greeted you with open arms
P’haps you had to abandon it due to Inner Snob
And continue life of horrors begun
All this adversity gave you the outlook glum
And your Engulfing eyes look Perpetually lost
The once Muscular Frame to a—Bare shadow gone
It was work week in boot camp. I had a bad cold.
I was working with two sailors, preparing desserts.
I ate a cherry off one dessert.
CHERRY CHOKEHOLD
the cherry chokehold
acute asphyxiation
black curtain climax
i’m fascinated
unexpectedly unafraid
heimlich births
a hapless cough
i return to my barracks
my life saved
my hero unnamed
unappreciated
many years later
it sinks in
and I routinely
ask God
to bless her
4/25/2022
Near Death Experience
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
Big Butt
Doughnut
Mirror
Steer Clear
Boot Camp
New Champ
Not scared
Declared
A. Green