Boy Scout Poem by Raj Dronamraju

"The decline of honor" was the title of his statement
He stammered when he spoke and it made him look uncomfortable
Scanning a campfire audience to find heads nodding down in sleepiness

I am very optimistic
And they noted this optimism by awarding me medals
When the body of an unknown creature washed up on the beach, we dissected it
I was the first to label the innards
To point out each part
And call the whole pack forward to share in the discovery

So good night freedom and hyphenate the bully
Attach the bullies to disparagement of what is no longer accepted
Fight the boogeymen in war games

In simulated warfare of Spartan emotional dispatch
We put each other down when injured
And operated as one unit

Breeding the youth for genocide operations
Selling cookies to finance violence against civilians
Crack a door an inch to find the uniforms that terrify me
Learn their oath and see their totalitarian misunderstanding of nature

I am very nationalistic
And they bred in me early a respect for the uniform
A cultural taboo against criticism of the military
I was the one who shouted the loudest
During the unison reinforcement exercise
I was the one who made the training a triumph
And was featured in a poster showing the young playacting the crimes of grown-ups