A Soldier Poem by Jason Pack

I've trained my whole life,
I've had this one dream,
For my country, I fight,
My soul, to redeem.

I march with friends,
I smile with strangers,
Here to make amends,
To overcome the dangers.

Then it begins,
The battle, my first,
The death never ends,
Blood is my thirst.

Men die all 'round,
Their bodies fall,
Their blood soaks the ground,
An omen to all.

My friends die,
One by one,
I realize,
War isn't fun.

It's not what I thought,
It would be,
Battles hard fought,
Fought by me.

I want it to end,
I want it to stop,
Quit shooting my kin,
And watching them drop.

I turn and run,
My legs won't tire,
My death has begun,
My need is dire.

I'm hit, i'm hit,
I'm going down,
Could this really be it?
In my blood, I drown.

I'll never go back,
Never see my wife,
They had to attack,
Had to take my life.