in my younger days, i was the perfect student.
my homework was completed on time, every time.
i never challenged authority.
i was a model student, and a model son.
in other words, i behaved as expected.
at 19, my jungle warfare & counter-guerilla operations instructor said, "ambush is murder, and murder is fun."
i believed him.
i found a new home.
i was the perfect soldier.
i completed my missions on time, every-time.
i never challenged authority.
i was a model soldier, and an exquisite killer.
women & children guerrillas drew their last breath on my bayonet.
i enjoyed my work.
killing is easy, and second nature to many.
but living with the ghosts separates the professionals from the amateurs.
i'm an economist now.
i don't challenge authority.
my work helped screw fellow americans out of their life savings & their health insurance.
but living with the ghosts separates the professionals from the amateurs.
my children frequently misbehave, and challenge authority at every turn.
they protest the inequity in america, and the body count of our "wars."
they are arrested by men carrying the very weapons i used in guatemala.
they sleep soundly at night while I awake in a cold sweat.
if only i had misbehaved as a child...


just another bush-whacking vet, but this time, i'm misbehaving.