Red Light
It was right there.
Small and fragile but the light existed—
maybe only for a moment.
Shining on my bare chest.
Tattoos with that tinge of red.
Dog tags hanging from my neck.
The underworld.
The rest of existence:
left to darkness.
I learned a lot about war out in the middle of nowhere.
Pure hatred was what they fed me.
Revenge felt secondhand—
used and reused following the reissue—
passed down with that thought of honor:
something to make the vicious reality that shadowed sound reasonable.
And just like that it was gone;
all of it in one uncertain moment.
A part of me died in that no man’s land—
it was for the best.
Attrition Warfare
One by one.
Just another bullet through the night;
Just like they taught me.
It’s cold out here.
Bodies hit the hard floor—
One by one.
Load up my body.
Step out into the violent air;
Just like they taught me.
Try it once (maybe again).
Just here for the party.
One by one.
I can’t see anymore;
Outside of reality;
Just like they taught me.
Feel no pain.
Lost all senses—
One by one;
Just like they taught me.
