Not the kind that breathe fire,
but the kind that sleep beneath oceans.
The kind that carry warheads
and glide through the deep
with silence and menace.

We flew above them,
not to slay them,
but to remind them we were watching.

We trained in silence.
We launched in silence.
We returned in silence.

We were knights of restraint,
armed not with swords,
but with payloads
we prayed never to use.

Our lance:
two Mk-46 torpedoes.
Our mace—the B57 depth charge–
could strike the deep,
but its fury could also reach the sky.
Like the knight’s own weapon,
it could return and pummel
the hand that cast it.

So we flew
not with bravado,
but with mercy.
Not with conquest,
but with covenant.

If this offering stirred something in you—
a memory,
a question,
a flicker of light—
you are welcome to share
your reflection below.
No need for eloquence.
No need for certainty.
Just a lantern,
gently placed.