` * ALFRED : SEMPER FIDELIS .
❛ GOOD MEN NEVER deserve to end up here. ❜ he smiles & you think ( GOD ! YOU CAN NEVER STOP THINKING . THEY PULLED THEIR TEETH OUT FOR YOU . SAY GRACE / THIS IS THEIR THANKS . ) that the night is too long , that helpless breath taken before the first shot is fired & their lives end in blood - stains that curse your heart. cigarettes burn out. people burn out. you never will. reach behind the neck , head lowers for the damned. ❛ it’s about the men. the way you found camaraderie there , their faces could’a been the last you saw. it’s about the enemy , knowing you’re fighting for somethin’ noble. is that it , sir ? ❜ those questions don’t have answers that leave you with a heart. something about the way the light shines on a new dawn. something about the scent of freedom , the solemn knowledge of THIS IS IT BOYS ! fingertips writhe in palm , adjusted jacket. ❛ america should thank you for everything you’ve done. each soldier volunteers for his nation & each is a heroic man in his own right. ❜
SCRUTINIZING GAZE O’ER stranger’s stunning duplicity . he sounds like the most honest man to ever speak ( * PERHAPS THE ONLY ONE ) but his words betray him . he looks young . frank averts his eyes . BOW YOUR HEAD , SAY YOUR HAIL MARYS , DON’T ASK HIM WHY HE’S LYING . exhale paints air around him murky gray . squints over the horizon . RISE AND SHINE , LIEUTENANT ! let the words roll between your teeth for just a moment . is that it , sir ? NO / NEVER / WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE THE WAY YOUR HEART BEATS WHEN YOU’RE STARING DEATH IN THE EYES — LIKE THE NEXT ONE IS YOUR LAST . ❛ yeah , somethin’ like that . you ever read any of that , uh , y’know the poems by the world war ii soldiers ? now there’s not even enough time to sit down and write about all the fucked up shit you’re seeing . that’s not the kind of thing you do for praise , y’know ? you do it because you’re young and dumb and you care so much you think that might kill you first . ❜
