AARON HUGHES
A TRIP TO THE ZOO
BIAP So BIAP
Been here a few times with nothing to show.
Been stopping here for chow and showers and sleep
Sleep on my cab, warm and oily dust covered cab
Sleep
That's all I want to do in the black generator roaring motor pool
Get a picture of this sign
Get a picture in the morning in this safe zone with Kevlar off
and flack vest off
Hey mom, dad this is BIAP
Your son is in BIAP with his sh* * truck
Hauling a sh* * HUMVEE burnt and brown and crumbling back to Kuwait
But I'm here mom dad step mom step dad sister brother
What the f * * * am I here for?
Was it the generators, bunker busters, busted convexes,
Safe in BIAP
Holy ground of miles of airplane and lies

CHILDREN
Eating the strawberries of nightmares that
hated our footprints.
And our footprints were dust
Dust like on the moon
So permanent in powder caked earth of blowing hot air
Dust sitting on eyes and eyelids
Caked in salt sex and sweat
I need a new room to be safe and peaceful
We, the sun and I, set into dustbowls of down
and the children cry
One hand on mouth one hand on faith
Children
Eating the strawberries of nightmares that hated our footprints.