Nights always too short
Interrupted by laundry
Ironing skivvies

Comfy blue sweatclothes
Our uniform, day and night
Unwashed for a week

P-Days really suck
Lots of waiting and yelling
Won't let us pass out

Time drags on and on
They tell us what to do, but
Not how to do it

More standing in lines
"Heel to toe; shut the hell up!"
Hard to stay awake

A pervasive style
You start writing in all caps
"Recruit handwriting"

A new lexicon
Halls and walls do not exist
There's "bulkheads" instead

A fun bunch, my group
Always joking or dancing
At least, when we can

Everyone gets sick
Germs imported far and wide
Catching "recrooties"

Uniform issue!
Smelly "smurfs" get thrown aside
Now we rock camo

High school and college
Plus physical punishment
Is what boot camp is

Persistent hunger
Seems like we're always at chow
Yet we all want more

Standing watch again
Alone in the compartment
Two hours to go

Mid-day watches suck
Do nothing for four hours
Probably miss lunch

Refill my canteen
Won't drink any water, though
God, I gotta pee

When is class over?
It's been maybe two hours
I hate missing out

Time to rove again
Make sure everything's in place
Sign off the deck log

FQADO
Hate it when he stops by my watch
Brief case and red pen

Two to four A.M.
Yet another bad time
I wanna go to bed

Free time on Sundays
Write letters, polish our boots
I get to stand watch

Eight to twelve again
Be nice to shower today
May wait until night

Be late to chow, too
But only by ten minutes
At least, I hope so

My boots are all scuffed
Gotta find time to shine them
Days are so busy

My notecard haiku
Keep a few in my pockets
Secret gear adrift

Rove to pass the time
My hours marked by walking
Straightening rack wheels

Too warm for parkas
We don't stow them in racks;
Folded fanny packs