What happened is certainly enough to appall.
I'm in the Army and I was forced to go AWOL.
I am disgusted by what happened and it's hard to believe.
Even though my brother was dying, they wouldn't give me leave.
I wanted to see my brother one last time before he died.
I plead with my superiors to give me leave but I was denied.
When it came to my late brother, I thought the world of him.
I went AWOL to be by his side and to tell him that I love him.
Now I'm facing a Court Martial, I'm in trouble indeed.
They turned their backs on me in my hour of need.
Now they're treating me like I committed a horrible crime.
But at least I was able to tell my brother that I love him in time.
A Court Martial and time in prison are what I'll probably receive.
But my superiors were cruel and despicable for not giving me leave.

i used to have this
friend
we would go outside
during the days
after the bell

one game we played
was kind of like
hunting
except it didn't
feel natural

lizard brains
were easy enough
to catch and ****
without a second
thought

we would stuff their
mouths
with explosives
then find and burn
the remains

until that time he
accidentally blew off
his own hand

far off
the jets are being gassed up
preping for launch

far off
the infantry train
in anticipation, for the battle sure to come

far off
the navy men scan the seas
waiting for a blip on the radar

far off
a marine is receiving shock training
and practicing what it is to be dead

far off
icbms with nuclear payloads are capped
their ignition sources itching for flight

far off
but not so much

They had nothing to give
To their motherland
Except their mortal lives
So they gave it cheerfully
Without a second thought
To see her wrinkled smile

These road on which we stand today
Were built upon layers of stone
And skulls of warriors great
This freedom wasn’t free
Of cost. Their debt we must pay.
Each and every day.

Two brothers fought
None won
Both lost
Freedom exacted a dear cost

As the clock struck twelve
On that August day
From heaven the martyrs cried
Their dream
Their struggle
For which they died
Was finally realized

The dawn was breaking
It was history in making
The charkha of time had turned
After so many years
A nation was waking
Up

I have been writing poems
As if I am forging my own armor
Yet it seems that what I have made
Is more than just a hefty covering
But layers of sky-piercing barriers
And armies of unfamiliar soldiers
With their faces reflected in mine

Yet with all these defenses
It still won't be enough

For the words I bleed fail to nourish
The wise owl I aspire to become
And the weakest of the weak
Isn't invisible behind thick walls
Nor will he ever be invulnerable
To the crippling echoes from outside
And to the storms he sewed himself

But as I am doomed to break
I will always be bound to fall as well
Down the rabbit hole of poetry

Unspoken words
stretched between phone lines;
Awkward pauses and silent tears.
No one is sure what’s wrong
Or how to fix it.
But we both feel the pain.

The miles are vines;
Strangling our voices.
Severing the connection between us;
That for so long relied on senses that are no longer available to us.

Time is a cancer;
Rotting our confidence;
And consuming the strength we’ve built together.

We are more polite;
Less informal.
Straining the tenuous foundation of our crumbling peace.

There was a time when your very breathe was a comfort to me.
I knew each beat of your heart
as if it were my own.
But we are strangers again.
I’m lost and alone,
Searching for you in a place I have never been before.
I’m unsure how to find you;
Or even if I’m looking for the same man I lost.