I Wore Those Dog Tags Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

I'm not here to lick or heal wounds.
Or run quickly to see,
Who or what approaches...
A locked gate and surrounding fence.
In my youth I wore those dog tags.
Believing with intentions,
My doing assisted in preventing...
Further harm that kept those protected.
Since...
My loyalty did not keep those defended.
Nor did my growl, bark or brave stance,
Chase those who threatened away.
And today I'm left reluctant to obey commands,
From those who have shown me...
Just how fast they can bite 'my' hands.
With a doing to prove,
My loyalty to them has meant nothing.
Nothing that permits me to keep hope alive,
With dreams to wish,
That my sacrifice to do what's right...
Will be recognized for what it was and not disrespected.
I'm not emotionally affected by those delusions anymore.
However...
No one could ever say,
They caught me catnapping or attempting to get rest...
To neglect any task I was assigned to protest.
I did my duty and with the best of my efforts.