i think he was a delivery guy
building four, number 2
across the walk

a moped with one of those
cage attachments
for carrying food
or packages
or whatever

one time i brought over a
loose hammer found near
his bike and caught a
glimpse through the door

gray couch,
folding chairs,
table full of wires
nothing out of the ordinary
same layout as ours

white Hats barreled in
before we could react
the dog was first
then my brother
then me

guess they had some bad intel

I want to know the the truth
The privileged secrets known by the few
But they say it's better this way
A light in the dark
A hint of ignorant bliss on the wind
But what do I know?
I'm a everyday fool
I sing in the rain
I feel nice and safe
Or so I'm told anyway
I'm a no name
They laugh in my face
They dance on my grave
The ending's the same
It will all be ok
Such and such #strong
Remain calm and carry on
I'll guess I'll play along...
For now anyway

Press forward!
Going nowhere.
Fire!
On a civilian standoff.
Count the dead,
10, 9, 8
0 casualty’s sir.
Great maths, soldier.

The world of today is as crazy as hell
Over populating cemeteries and prisons as well
I don’t know, can I go for a day or a minute
Without the possibility of another getting in it
I don’t mean to judge, but the love, I don’t see it
Seems we're keen to get it on,  if I'm wrong, then  so be it
Now, if you’re reaching this consensus, then the well runs deep
That the world has its issues and the people got beef

The government getting swoll from the toll off the backs
Of the Johns and the Janes, and the Jills and the Jacks
What we earn in return is a zero and a nothing
As the politicians lie, because it’s all about the fronting
Putting on airs for the world and a camera
Need a glass of water, cause their tongues’ got stamina
Smiling real pretty, cool posing in relief
But, the world has its issues and the people got beef

Oops, did he stutter, when he uttered an explicit
Live at five; another political statistic
**** if we do, **** if we don’t; really
Now, enter Uncle Trump; yeah; this is getting silly
He’s rolling out his plan, but see, the Congress ain’t buying
He’s an amateur, a fruitcake, and won’t stop lying
But, it’s not about you and it’s about me
See, the world has its issues and the people got beef

Who the hell are our enemies; and don’t you understand it
That the Russians and the Chinese are rolling up the planet
Kim is just a fat boy, playing in his backyard
ISIS is so over, and Assad is just a ******
Too much time on the swans and the bulls
When we need to get a handle on the weasels and wolves
The terrorist not withstanding, we’re gotta have peace
Cause the world has its issues and the people got beef

The Chinese are smiling and are as friendly as cobras
Ready to attack, when you bend your *** over
Russians are aggressive, but, sly as a fox
Two-faced as a ****** and  as ***** as socks
Bottom line, I think its time to put faith to the test 
Put diplomacy in a coma, cause it’s time to flex
Raise the bar and push them hard; show we're knocking out teeth
Because the world has its issues and the people have beef

Grab the big stick and leave the Twitter alone
Release the forces, scrap the voices, leave the weaklings at home
The strategies are on point and our forces are primed
Put an end to the posturing and the wasting of time
Time to command, not to pander,  Mr Commander-in-Chief
Cause the world has its issues and the people got beef

A broken hero walks through the streets of his home town
Home from a war he didn't understand
But was pretty **** good at fighting
He's got a slight limp and it's making
All the cracks in the sidewalks a little different
And every time he trips
He wishes he were back in the desert
His camouflage can't hide him here
His bullet proof vest can't protect him from piercing glances
And his gun won't stop the advance of the fear crawling through him
It won't stop the uncertainty closing in on him
For all the times he was in a fire fight
Shooting his gun into nothing  but the night
He never felt uncertain
You get shot at and you shoot back
It was never complicated
Your best friend dies
But you've taken enough best friends' lives that
It just seems logical
But here at home he can't take his safety off
He takes his gun apart
Hangs the different pieces on his wall
A modern art tribute to the dog tags he's yet to deliver to weeping widows
He's come home to a world he can't associate with
A family he can't share stories to
A job force that doesn't know what to do with him
Because they're not quite sure how you get a bachelor's degree in blowing **** up
Or how dodging bullets relates to crunching numbers
He's come home to a girlfriend who feels just guilty enough
To have *** with him for a few months before leaving him
For his best friend she's been with for years
And a G.I. Bill just big enough to drink his way through his thirties
Which will be just long enough to learn he can't drown the sounds of battle
Out with Busch pounders
That beer goggles don't work on memories
And that MRE's don't quite cut it for Thanksgiving dinners
He can't form any saliva in his perma-cotton mouth
So he seals envelopes with his tears
As he sends out the letters that were supposed to be just in case
But just in case turned out to be the case a little too often
He finds it unsettling that every time he goes out
He know he's coming home
He forgot to stop at red lights for weeks
And when he remembered he was supposed to
He still didn't stop
It's not that he wants to die
He just wants to know he still can
He wakes up too early for everybody else
Makes his bed, folds his socks, shines his boot
Eats breakfast, and watches the news talk about withdrawal
As he wipes the sleep from his eyes to prepare for the symptoms of his own
He sleeps on the floor till the Army Surplus Store
Delivers his cot
It's not that he doesn't want to be normal
It's that he forgot how
He's bought the plane tickets
But still doesn't know what to say
He knows they already know
But he has promises to keep
What can he say to the wives of men
That were stronger than him
How's he supposed to stay strong for them
When he wasn't strong enough to die with them
And once a year his home town holds a parade
In honor of the fallen veterans from the community
He keeps wondering why he has yet to be invited
Because the only thing keeping him alive is his heart beat
He's not offended
But he feels more at home at the cemetery
With the dead and buried
Than in the church next door
They morn them in
He wakes up at night in flop sweats
From nightmares of bullets lodged in his chest
That he's come to call
Dreams

All that lead in their bones
Smoke lingering blood

They placed masks on their graves
Unmarked in kitchens
And fields of grain
Washed out and bitterly red
Against a blue white skin

Liberty fell with her rifle
Pointed at her own knees
Crown set a gutter for soldiers to cower and puke in their false beliefs

The only absolute in this ******* war is death
You freedom ******* hypocrites