Controller

It’s like something out of a science fiction novel

I am telling a fighter pilot where his opponent is
Using carefully coded language
The pilot knows what I see on my radar screen
And adopts tactics to evade and engage–

Or at least that’s what I had intended to do

I am terrible at this
Even though I’ve been in training for over a year
What I see on my radar screen and
What I say on the radio
Are not the same thing
And that is a bad thing
In a battlespace where closure rates are in the vicinity of the sound barrier

This was my last choice when I enlisted
As far as career fields go
I would have rather worked in a silo
And be a keeper of the keys that unleashed nuclear fire on thine enemies
But the air force decided otherwise
And so I wear a flight suit
Stare at radar returns all day
And learn the language of a controller

Too bad I wasn’t able to make a career out it