A Soldier's Mantra Poem by Robert Edgar Burns

</>This land that we come from,
Is to us a house of pain!
A bayonet may pierce our ribs
But we have never served in vain.
Cold steel may soon await us.
We ask “Are we not men? ”
“No, we are not men! ”
For sure we’re heard to say,
“We are beasts and brother
You’d better run away! ”
We dress right, dress right, dress,
And eat our chow at canteen or at mess.
We clean all our weapons daily,
So they will not ever be failing! .
Lying prone upon the ground,
Hold our breath’s and hear no sound.
Our eyes peering through a gun’s sights,
Kentucky windage is used at night.
We’ll take aim before they do,
Pull our trigger before they’re through.
Singing cadence as we leave
After giving thanks upon our knees.
Popping blisters when we arrive,
It’s not that easy to survive.
Fighting terrorists or the Contra,
Danger! It’s a soldier’s mantra!