Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire

Warfare exacts a heavy cost

With life and limb and all that’s lost

Destruction wrought on a geographical terrain

While PTSD rewires the brain

And with insult to injury carelessly applied

The cover up of all, the fratricide

But blood is still red

And dead is still dead

Unintentional wounds still hurt

The dead are still buried in the dirt

I get it, we are all so hastily recruited

The fallout not completely computed

Driven by our own insecurities and fears

Suffering losses that exacerbate tears

Relational conversations deceptively contrived

Resulting in collateral damage; fratricide

But blood is still red

And dead is still dead

Unintentional wounds still hurt

The dead are still buried in the dirt

Enemies gather to insidiously conspire

Unleashing attacks of their rage and ire

But ultimately what brings the warrior to retire

The unfortunate result, of friendly fire

And while the fact is well known

That we are taking out our own

The numbers still climb

That’s the message to my rhyme