everyday, capt’n, sir, captain, I was
left, a child, after school, I was alone, I found
a match, under the sink I found a can, a spray
can, ly-sol dis-infectant, it made a
torch, I was careful the flame didn’t
enter the can, I knew it
would explode, somehow I knew, I’m
trying to be clear sir—the flame
shot across the room, then it was gone
By this point in the poem, the soldier is completely broken and I imagine in a near hysterical state confessing his sins. He brings this memory up from his childhood, and this shows how deeply the events he has been a part of for the military has affected him. He feels so guilty that he is confessing irrelevant things from his childhood, he is miserable and wants forgiveness for all of the things he has been a part of. When he says he knew the can could explode, or if he was careful that the flame would simply disappear, it may be an allusion to the prison he was stationed at. That if he was careful and stayed out of it, then no guilt could be placed on him; the flame would dissipate. But it seems like he let the flame get too close in this case, and the prison situation blew up in his face.