Martyred Man

For what remains of the Gambit

It ain't about being a hawk
Tossing slurs like grenades
Across the thoroughfare
At the peace lovers singing hymns.
It ain't about burning flags,
Spitting on the wounded
For making decisions under duress
In the crosshairs of the devil.
It ain't about trading in textbooks
For a camouflage apron and combat boots,
Working for minimum wage
In a munitions factory.
It ain't about snipping
Red and white carnations
For old glory stripes
In a parade float.
The grunts had it right
All along with that mantra
About not leaving
One of yours behind.
It's about stitching together
A boy who though not your own
Bleeds eternally taking that bullet
Meant for all of us.

Martyred Man

The heat is unforgiving
The salt burrows in your skin
The dead feed on the living
In a war we can not win

A home we don't belong to
No one looks you in the eye
Despising the things you do
Counting the days till you die

Chorus
Ain't nobody cutting you slack
A cross or an X on your back
A martyred man under attack
For the rest of your life

Adrenaline masks danger
Addiction hiding the hurt
Of being the last stranger
Whose bones stand above the dirt

Threw your card in the fires
The promise of a new day
Idle chatter from liars
Born and bred to look away