Off To War Poem by Arthor Journer

Somewhere in the battle my heart lost the score
But now awaking from my slumber once again off two war
Wounded pride and scarred flesh and mind
The helmet too thin the vest tin foil lined
Shell-shocked soul would rather be in the safety of dreams
Where everything is safe but not necessarily as it seems
Grenades lobbed at the essence of my emotional core
Duck into my foxhole to hide from life or death once more
My knife is only rubber my bullets are only blanks
Their words are steal and they throw projectiles from tanks
My whistles and cries for help are all ignored
Their missiles and lies whisk me once again off to war
MASH units patch me up send me back into battle
Emotions lined up to march like the slaughter of cattle
Bombs explode and parts of my feelings thrown across the field
Crosses are erected for the dead and prayers are offered on those kneeled
Somewhere I forgot what I was actually even fighting for
Yet my soul knows it must awake once again off to war
The stench of dead dreams fills the pregnant air
Mutilated ideas cause my heart to just stop and stare
Raped and pillaged aspirations now set on fire
Enthusiasm replaced by doubt love replaced by fleshly desire
Hope and faith now only remnants of a tattered past
Fear and pity exponentially growing so very fast
The wealth of talent and knowledge now bankrupt and poor
No resources of health or healing but once again off to war