You open the door
take your first steps toward glory,
seeing the others in the Humvee
your heart begins its first beats of your new life.

The trip takes 6 hours
cramped in the dark spaces of the vehicle,
you feel sick to your stomach
the vehicle halts you climb out.

Your gun fits perfectly into your sweaty hands,
with your finger wrapped around the trigger,
you begin your descent down the rigid mountain.

In the distance you hear gunshots and loud bangs
men shout at you to move forward,
you can’t move,
you’re scared.

Remembering what happened to your best friend
you move forward toward protection,
you crouch behind the Humvee
with your M16 rifle ready.

Whenever you move
you never move alone
yet you still felt like you had no protection
like you were alone in a war that you didn’t want to fight.

Then you feel a sharp pain
liquid began to gush out of your ankle
you glance down at your foot
you quickly pass out as your blood spreads in your boot.

Your sight begins to fade
you feel exhausted and tired
drifting into blackness
you fall under the spell of sleep.



You wake up
with an IV in your arm
you peer down to your foot
it’s all stitched up.

A soldier comes into the room
you don’t recognize
the face that begin talking in another language
he takes out a gun and begin to c*** it.

They wanted
to make you feel safe
just so they
could take that away.

They took everything from you
your hope, your courage
your family, your friends
your trust, your compassion
your freedom, your liberty
and then your life.