Be All You Can Be
I did
you did too
more than a slogan
qualified you to give
me to accept
that hot pink ballcap
not a sissy blush cover
modest and shrinking
often lost in the crowd
Hup Two, Three, Four
ARMY stitched in bold white block
sounding off across the brim
like our service when few
females swore an oath and
busted into the ranks
swapping skirts and submission
for combat boots, contingencies
and command
we signed up for
be all you can be
first time it rolled out
coming days will see me
crushing that hot pink ballcap
thinking of you sister
both of us saving the hugs
until we get to know
each other better
Beth Liechti is a freelance editor, as well as the editor of Side by Side on the Trail. She’s also a writing coach for As You Were: The Military Review. Her poetry and stories have been published in Lethal Minds Journal, Line of Advance, As You Were: The Military Review, Sisters in Arms: Lessons We’ve Learned (anthology), and Mighty Pen Project Anthology. She served in the U.S. Army from the Cold War to the Global War on Terror, including Operation Iraqi Freedom. Signal in information operations, strategic communications & public affairs.
