Tactics

I am in the
Seventh grade
Playing a war board
Game Tactics II an off
Shoot of a Rand Corp training
Game several times a week against
My best friend John who died in
Viet Nam but brought his own
Body back preserved like a
Mummy but in opium so
He hung around briefly
Then was gone his
Clever tactic to
Avoid what he
Could not
Live with.
Playing
Tactics
With
John gave
Us both a peek
At why command
Used a forlorn hope
A sacrifice piece aimed
To slow or distract an eager
Enemy a lesson he found again
In Viet Nam and I well remember
His bravado courage humor in
Stress all my life after he left,
Doing what was necessary
But pulling back to lead
A longer less painful
Life of cars kids
Mortgages
Marriage
Budgets
Safe at
A desk
A tactic I
Do not regret
As all glory is fleeting.
Strange I got away from
Staff service at sea on cruises
Falling back on modeling board
Games not Texas traffic flow patterns research over
Seas or teaching night
Community college
Classes to the
Spring break
Virus toting
Sons and
Coeds
Of heaven.
Tactics II training
To use game
Design to
Yet again
Dodge to
Persevere.
Might work.
Let’s roll the dice
And see what comes next.