Compass Points To That Road

I am a soldier, oh yes a military  
but my weapon isn't what you prefer  
my choices don't lead to a family grieving  
the unchecked hatred and loathing  
violence has so many faces  
 
Variety on the surface  
people put in body bags
the stronger adversary focuses on
military deaths in combat  
but from time immemorial  
civilians pay the higher toll
 
Push to go deeper  
to the economic injustices  
people toiling harder then any Fortune 500 CEO
who have had savings wiped out  
courtesy of bank deregulation  
the blind allegiance to capitalism run amuck  
young people growing up in a world
of living month to month,
becoming a statistic for the penal system,
or the organization which now runs ads on tv  
and is buffered by movies depicting how  
human compassion can be overridden in the name of a nation state
 
The scars of battles take so many forms  
and yes sometimes the conflict rages within  
for the wages I earn, the taxes I pay  
collectively allow others to exert influence  
in my name  
other times I grow weary and succumb  
to taking the easy way out  
I suggest indifference when the someone passes  
the cup on the highway  
throw a still usable bag away  
or grab the keys when I could take a walk  
burning more fossil fuel  
 
But this fight is still not over  
for I may be battered and bruised  
my direction may not always be straight  
but I have done my best to return to that better road
to be able to say that one person lived a bit easier  
because of my efforts  
and though like minded people are in  
an all time low minority in positions'
of leadership and wide spread recognition  
I have my memories of people who went before
 
All would have disdain for being placed on high  
realizing so well that they had human fallacies  
like any other mortals  
but that didn't stop them from returning to a truth  
that the power of the heart has an enduring quality  
and while the planet is still inhabitable  
"hope springs in the bosom of us all"