Just for a Moment

by Virginia del Casal

Callie stood,
silently,
in the midst of the clamor,
striving to adjust
to the scene before her
and, just for a moment,
quailed
at the bodies and limbs flailed
but rallied quickly
at the 1MC’s strident salvo.
She hurried to a gurney
and straightened the linen just so,
waiting for another wave
of casualties,
either friend or foe.

Virginia del Casal was a Navy nurse and left after just under 8 years of active duty service. She uses writing, poetry in particular, as a means of putting into perspective her experiences while serving in the military.