under a big yellow moon

they said we had orders to stay on the main drag.

the tourist hot spots.
well-patroled, well-lit.
but it was my first night in Singapore, and i wanted an adventure...

cinderella liberty.

after three months floating in the pacific.

around the horn.

through the phillipine straits.
all the while on mess duty-a punishment of sorts, handed down by my SSgt.
a real prick. a sociopath. an old school Jarhead. the glue that holds the corps together.

so a few of my buddies followed me to the red-light district.

mostly good ole boys. christians. god-fearing. 

and they wanted nothing to due with the whores manning the dark recesses of that alley.
"you're fucking stupid, Mandia," one said.
"you're probably right," i said. "i joined the Marines."
but i pushed on.
down that dark alley with a sole buddy.
metal halide glowed golden and warm, casting shadows of men, women, girls.
we passed a young Indian girl. 

couldn't be more than 15. 

her hair: a rats nest of tangles and knots. 

she did not look up as we passed. 

but her pimp; a porcine asian man, sucking a cigar, sweat beading on his yellow forehead smiled at us.
"fiddy dolla," he said.
we didn't respond.
we weren't there for strumpets. especially kids. especially kids who've been forced from the government sanctioned brothels.
-most likely popping a VD test.
but we walked. slow, and i tried to take it all in.
these women, girls. their fat ass ugly asian pimps.
the oriental architecture-how the moon light fell on the upturned roofs and overhanging eaves.
two thai girls yelled from a window several story's up.
"come up army mens," they said.
they flashed their breasts. tiny little things.
"mosquito bites," we said . 

immature and baby faced.
nearing the end of that alley, three large women stood before us.

a blockade.
one of them grabbed my crotch. 
they wore cheap make-up and false eyelashes. 

six inch stilettos. 

garish wigs.

im pretty sure they were men.
or more like boys.
but we wanted none of that and continued on.

they parted as we shoved past their calloused hands.
the white lights of the street grew brighter. our gauntlet almost complete.
took one last look back. the shadows still there. outlines of women and girls. and those pimps.
smoking and sweating.

my buddy and i walked to a bar and sat inside on the second story. 

it was empty and we ordered two large tiger beers.
the booze went down good; cold and bitter and made us drunk very quickly.
i think we talked about life. what we were gonna do once we got discharged.

usc.

marriage. 

porches and mustangs.

the future.

it was new years eve 2002 back then.
and the moon was big that night. 

very big and very yellow.