Puff the Magic Dragon

by Alan Catlin

It sounded like the end of a journey
to the center of the earth

in technicolor and it's sitting
fire bombs on the jungle

in the dead of night

along with these search and destroy lights.
I'd seen some weird shit in a couple
of months of duty but nothing like this:

"Oh, that, that's Puff the Magic Dragon."
Air Head said.
"Like in the song?" I said.
"Exactly, snuffs out the enemy.
Snuffs out everything. Serious, heavy shit."

Air Head said watching the night burn.

Air Head had seen everything twice,
that was his rationale for reupping.

The sun fell out of my eyes
on the last Puff run and I could
see the explosions change Air Head's mind
about everything.

Where there used to be satchel charges
now was filled with loaded mines
and a trip flare that would go off
on contact. "Sell your Peter, Paul and Mary
records, bro, it's all over now."

Air Head had the look of a serious soon
to be dead man or was it the look of a man
who was never going to die?

Either way it wasn't a look you stayed with too long.

"The Dragon like Knows." Air Head said
staring into the jungle burn.

About "Puff the Magic Dragon".