As I walk through a collective field of souls
I wonder what there is to gain
Feelings of confusion permeate my mind
How did an English teacher end up a soldier?

It’s dark.
It’s cold.
I have not eaten
I hear the screams of the Viet Cong
Their hatred bellows like church bells

I wish they knew I did not choose to be their enemy
Perhaps they did not choose to be mine
Faulker would be proud
‘As I Lay Dying’

C.L. Butler is an African American and Dutch writer, historian, and entrepreneur from Philadelphia, based in Houston, TX. In 2017, his poem Laissez Faire was published by The Bayou Review. He has spent most of his career working in sports and art administration, but now has fully dedicated himself to writing full time.