Duties Reward
Smoke wafted across the village,
The swack,swack, swack, sound
Of a helicopter inbound,
was heard,
Grass and dust churned and curled,
As it landed,
Amidst the carnage caused,
By it’s crew now disbanded,
The horrors of war,
are but dreams when they sleep,
the traumas they live with,
they always will keep.
Just then he awoke,
from this dream,
Being kicked by a cop
in an alley not clean.
Wake up, wake up,
you can’t sleep here,
He remembered his dream,
and had no fear,
I can sleep where I like,
I’m an ex army vet,
I fought for my country,
which I do not regret,
But for all of that suffering,
I’m still owed a debt.
He found himself bound,,
As the cop read his rights,
Was held hard to the ground,
Then thrown in the back,
Of a sleek, black and white,
Was charged and locked up,
In a cell for the night.
The judge in the morning,
Was unsympathetic,
If you're an ex veteran,
You should go get a job,
You make us feel guilty
When you sleep in the street,
It was not our fault,
that you died In that war,
You just haven’t realised
You should not be here.
Eventually you will realise,
And will then disappear
Thirty days was his sentence,
He was marched and locked in the cells,
The arresting officer treated him ok,
Would you like some pie he heard him say
Well thanks said the vet,
No probs, said the cop,
What's your name I forget,
Its Robbo I guess said the vet,
Mines easy the cop said it’s Joe.
I guess it ain’t fair,
what was said just out there,
The cop said, as he handed him pie,
That’s life said the vet,
It’s what I’ve come to expect,
And as he munched the food,
In desultory mood
He gave out a long sad sigh.
Again he was locked, In a six by nine cell,
Was he pissed off, I guess so,
But then who can tell.
He served the month out,
He had done this before,
And the lock on the door,
Made him feel more secure.
The time passed by, quite easy,
To him it was free board and lodge,
He picked up his things,
His wallet and rings,
They were matching,
And Joe had to ask,
Hey Rob are you married,
I was but she died,
She was pregnant,
and the feotus miscarried,
While I was fighting away,
That’s tough, Joe the cop said,
That’s life said the vet,
You know it’s not right,
But you just have to fight,
The fight is what keeps you alive,
But sometimes I want to,
just not to respond to,
the walk, talk, and jive,
With That he just went,
Joe watched him walk out of the door,
Who was that, said the sergeant,
I am afraid I don’t know,
I have never seen him before.
Copyright ©
Damian Cranney
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