So I Says

Joseph Pete

When I was in Mosul in Northern Iraq,

I overheard a guy starting an anecdote with “So I says”

with a sludgy accent

the way my grandfather used to.

I knew right away he was from the Region,

and called him out on it,

thousands of miles and half a world away.

It turned out he was from an Air National Guard unit

based out of the Gary airport.

We reminisced about Schoop's Hamburgers, crap like that.

A week later, the area his unit occupied was bombarded

by mortar rounds from outside the wire.

I had no idea if he was even still there,

if his unit was even still at the FOB when the attack happened.

I never saw him again.