Is it a lie to think young boys
sent to the front lines
were willing to sacrifice
their un-lived lives to win
something they didn’t plan?
Was it assumed for them?
Barked out by the pecking order
with the rules. No options
once you joined the army.
You were a prop for the gun
and you couldn’t even choose
where or when to shit.
You who just learned how to shave
started out honourable
and found comradery among the others
who feared the white feather
from the village wives.
If being a man means living up
to others’ expectations
with your young scrubbed face
your limbs looking for love
your mind questioning
the fraction of a unit
you have become
for some other purpose
never revealed to you
- does it mean you proved it?
I want you to know
even though it’s too late
that I love you, and
your virgin heart.
