The quiet holds me,
And the flow state hits.
I could do this in my sleep,
Zen through rifle disassembly.
A blindfold party trick that no one cares about.

​

The warm embrace of CLP,
(Cleans, lubricates, and protects—a wonderous product.)
The smell knocks and I spit out the taste of Arabian sand,
And IED aftershocks rattle in my chest,
And the dry heat comes and the never-ending exhaustion,
I’m still tired from that last patrol,
And always will be—a problem that no one cares about.
The last patrol.

​

I loved my M4,
And I love my AR15. Mine.
Ecstasy through assembly.

​

I worship at the altar of Eugene Stoner—
Stoner’s gift was blessed,

And I am forever thankful.

​

Nirvana through a trigger pull.
Clarity through taking souls.
Enlightenment through stacking bodies.
An existence no one cares about.

​

 

J.B. Stevens lives in the Southeastern United States with his wife and daughter. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for poetry, was a finalist for the Killer Nashville Claymore award, and won Mystery Tribune’s inaugural micro-fiction contest. His poetry chapbook All the Violent Memories was released in March 2021, his short story collection A Therapeutic Death is being released in October 2021—both from Close to The Bone publishing. He is a veteran of the Iraq war where he earned a Bronze Star. Prior to the war, he was an undefeated Mixed Martial Arts Fighter. J.B. graduated from The Citadel. 

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