Spam Haiku Story

English Allow Fall

"You must erase thought
Use English, allow fall in
You must be ball now."

The old man's words echo in my head as I approach the table...

I'd survived two tours in Vietnam, tried to be as honorable as I could while in the field, but was sorely disappointed at the reception I'd received when I got back to the States. So after the fall I called a buddy of mine who hooked me up with a deadhead flight back to Saigon.

Crazy as it seems, I really missed the place. The cheap booze, sex, and dope... the perfect place to hide out and lick my wounds while I tried to get my head back to normal.

I always was pretty good on the tables, even when I had a buzz on. I could whip most of the guys in my platoon at eight ball without even trying. But I let myself slide after the war. I was still good enough to win some free drinks, but most serious players could kick my ass on any given night, especially later on after I'd had a few...

So one night while I'm waiting for the next challenger to rack 'em up, this old local taps me on the shoulder: "Hey Cowboy! Long time no see!"

I took a minute, but I recognized him, it was Lam Vinh. I'd met him in a village we'd been sent to check out on patrol during my last tour. The guys were pretty edgy, the gooks sent a starving kid wired as a bomb into our camp a couple nights before, took out two of us.. And they thought someone in this village was responsible. Our Lieutenant was on the edge even before, I was worried he was gonna go Calley on this place now...

So we start rousting them outta the huts and lining 'em up. Old Lam, he knows some English, and he says "We with you, we good guys!" The Loot don't wanna believe him, he's ready for revenge, but I tell him to cool down, let me talk to the guy. (I know some of the language, this being my second tour.)

So Lam tells me they aren't with the Cong, they hate them. Somewhat reluctantly, he tells me where the Cong are hiding out, afraid of retribution for ratting on them. We head out and engage the Cong, lose a couple of our guys but manage to take all them out. Then our guys head back to the village, hootin' and hollerin', looking to have a little fun tearing up the place...

Me and a couple of the Christian guys in the platoon talk to the Loot, managed to convine him it ain't right to take advantage of the poor villagers, especially after they helped us find the enemy. So he calls the guys off before they can do any damage. Old Lam sees what we did, and thanks us.

So back in the bar, five years later, Lam challenges me to a game of pool. Turns out the old guy's really good, he beats me three straight. Then he starts teaching me about the Zen of Pool...

So here I am, thirty years later, shooting pool for a living with some of the best. And I'm thankful for the advice the old Lam gave me all those years ago..