"Lead The Way"

By Ben Fortier

Sweat lingers in the fabric
Adding grams of weight,
To the uniforms of the elite commandos.
They move in teams of two,
Silently approaching the target area.
The night envelops them,
Shrouding their outline.
Their heightened senses,
Feel the environment.

A break in the silence,
Feeding off violence.
As triggers click,
Enemy bodies fall
Slumped against the walls.

Moving with cunning
And confidence,
Slipping through the target area.
Gathering intelligence;
Pictures, documents, thumb drives and laptops.

Then disappearing
Back into the murky air,
Taken away by Chinooks,
Whose rotors chop away the clouds.
They ascend into the Heavens,
To return once again,
When the moon is full.

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Native Rhode Islander and proclaimed Renaissance Man, Iraq veteran Benjamin Fortier is a multi-talented writer, musician, and technology geek. He is currently in school (again) studying computer networking and cybersecurity. His day job is in service to his rescue dog, Princess Peppa Pig the American Bully. He is the author of Stones of the Wooded Valley and The Silent Whispers of Omens. This poem was taken from his latest book PHANTOMS, covering his deployment to Iraq in '06-'07.

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