In the dead heat of a Texas night,
The compass needle pointed north,
The windrose glowed dull scarlet
Showing me the way west in
The dim red light of
My army issue flashlight.
Somewhere in the brush
Off to my left something,
Invisible animal,
Snuffled and rustled,
Wandering away noisily
In the darkness
As the sweat rolled down my back,
And I kept track of my steps in the dark,
Mentally converting paces to meters
As I headed hopefully in the dark
Towards the dark clearing
Among the brooding trees where,
The chopper was supposed to meet me.
Donovan Baldwin