Life is absurd. We all have to come to grips with that. The jungle of Vietnam is a hauntingly beautiful place. All the same, it is not a place I wanted to die. The memory of that day comes back to me—right now, vividly—as if I was back there again. The voice of the Lieutenant came over the radio, sharp and definitive (those West Point graduates were used to giving orders): “Move forward with your squad. Get as close as you can to the bunkers. See if you can spot enemy activit

Lost There now—the shivering has subsided— The embrace of the cold is gentler now. The angry monkey in my head—“Stupid! Stupid! to get lost in the dead of winter!”— Is calmer. Thought I was tougher than that, Crying and blubbering like a baby, When I could not take another step, In the cold pitchy black from tree to tree And about, five paces each way, The morning light a hundred years away, With the ravenous cold consuming me, And my shivering shaking the ground. Why did I d

Mountain High By Pat O’Regan In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer. —Albert Camus The scenery was beautiful, but I was in a foul mood. Now and again, the Grand Tetons came into view through the forest, rising majestically to snow-covered peaks, but I didn’t care to stop and drink in the glorious vista or take a single photo. I was grumbling about the heavy pack and the steep hike to the campgrounds, but the actual cause of my i

The Deer Hunter Mother Nature does not care whether we live or die. She is unforgiving, but I am not afraid. It was the last day of the annual deer hunting trip with the guys from town in the big woods of the north. The day before, bored and cold from sitting still for hours, I had wandered into the woods, soon becoming lost, going this way and that, without a care, all day long, finally coming out to the lake on which the cabin was located with just an hour of daylight to sp

I came to you in my mind Before we joined in our bliss. In my fervid heart, I caught the sweet scent of your skin, The smooth, softness of your flesh, Your smoldering eyes—drawing me in, The intoxicating lushness of your hair, The taste of our kisses, Even the strong caress of your thighs. How we sailed on a passionate sea Of ecstatic delight! With you, as often, taking charge— ‘Lie still’—in the dark of the night. Plunging down, down, down, Into the enchantment of your body.