Soldier Poem by RIC BASTASA

it is a nice life soldier
is it not? you are well fed
and you are given the power to kill
with rewards even
if you have killed many
of our enemies,

you are well traveled
and well trained
with all those free high powered guns
and ammunition

you do not have to spend any neuron
in your brain
you only follow orders
and that is what matters most
like a guard dog, a sniff dog that amazes
me at the airport

soldier, i like you, but i cannot be one like you
because for reasons unknown to you,
you also kill some of our
brothers in the name of the state
and this world, in the name of war and of peace

always following orders.