Memorial Day

Memorial day cold as
the Eastern front
outside Moscow
in '41
when we kept the
tank engines running
all night long
so the oil would not
turn to sludge;
we should have pulled back
then
and re-grouped
but the Fuehrer said
stand and fight
and so
we did
in the cold
of the horrible winter
so awful
that I have not been able to
endure winters
since--
that's why I live in Brazil
now--
(that, and for
other reasons).