Blood on the moon
by Gary Jacobson © April 2006
Oh, harvest moon
Before your Eminence I did in days gone by swoon
Romance rising in luminance of golden glow bloom
The birthplace of hungered sight
Manhood’s might growing in tender bright
Now sent with brothers of this golden generation to fight.
Now, holding deepest horrors borne in Nam’s park
Where seductive moonlight meets repressive dark
Shadowed monsters move in jungled light
Deepest dread fills my soul in luminous sight
Feigning hope to make it through another killing night
Praying for the bravery of heroes might...
Still, I cannot escape my frightened fears
Wipe away befogged deathly tears
Wondering who in your golden haze waits to kill me
From this gloomy night's toil on earth set me free?
Who in your illumination has on me a bead?
Who sees my target to make me too bleed?
I live out where things go bump in the night
Tend to explode, with vicious bite.
I live where real boogeymen roam
Where real monsters in the howling night moan
Kindling the heebie-jeevie shivers
Igniting the sweat flowing like rivers.
Oh, lay me down this night to keep.
I pray I will not this night just rewards reap
Paying for things I've done before I wake.
Do not my warrior heart forsake
Strip it of manhood before coming morn
Nourish this dusky jungle, with mortal essence adorn.
Under the bloody moon there's too much time
Time to relive the whirlwind of tempestuous hell's rhyme
Tarnation time dreaming of the burning day
Time where demons of daylight born, come out to play
Searching for secrets buried in marrowed essence deep
Time meant for the angels only to keep.
Oh, that you could lay down by my side
Shielding from confounding hostilities torment hide.
I no longer know what's right or wrong
Yet I sing war's contentious song
Fighting for brothers, surviving this years fright.
Rescue me from this bloody moon's light
Help me make it through another deadly night.
Let the Devil take tomorrow
Drown it in tears of evil sorrow
For tonight I need a friend
Brothers I've got, helping hand to lend
Laying in solemnity dreary beside my foxhole
Helping make sense of this hell's rigmarole.
I know from this time on to forever
I will still again get this night's jungle fever
Revive tonight's shakes whenever I see your golden glow.
Frantically I’ll try to hide, you know...
For I know someone is always out there ... watching
Shadowing me, preparing to expedite my dying.
Tonight, there's still blood on the moon...
But no, that just can't be...
How can we resort to killing again so soon?
Haven't we learned war's terrible lessons?
Haven't we matured past the need for killing our sons?
Haven't we learned in our hearts hard lessons of peace?
Haven't we gained a Master's love, that will make war's cease?
Click the Combat Infantry Badgeto go to my Vietnam Poetry index, each poem
with more action graphics and Pictures
Through pictures and poetry take a walk in "the park" with the 1st Air Cavalry on combat patrol. Experience the chilling reality that will give you the taste of "the Nam" on your tongue, leave the pungent smell of "the Nam" in your nostrils, and imbed textures of "the Nam" in your brain as though you were walking beside me in combat.