Aftermath
I did everything you asked
Obeyed every legal command
When as a teen you sent me
To that not quite alien land.
They spoke the same language
Looked just the same as me
But behind that appearance lay
A land of conflict and cruelty.
We stood out in the open
Uniformed on the street
Never sure of the reception
We were ever likely to meet.
Sometimes bricks and stones
Screaming their hate out loud
Sometimes bombs and petrol
From a rioting dangerous crowd.
They dressed in normal clothing
Hidden out there in plain sight
Sometimes we made mistakes,
Didn’t always get it right.
Sometimes in stressful situations
We didn’t always ask why,
Just acted in self preservation
Because nobody wants to die.
The terrorist, now freedom fighter
With much blood on his hands
Is now the politician in power
Holding sway over that land.
After so many long years
They want to step back in time
Bring me before a court
Accuse me of a war crime.
I did what was asked of me
Obeyed every legal command
As I struggled to survive in
That not quite alien land.
Now they’re ready to sacrifice me
For a perceived political need,
But that’s politicians for you mate,
A despised and despicable breed.
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