Saved From The Streets

I was headed for juvie
a few break and enters
some stolen cars, one armed robbery.
The Army was my best way out
before I ended on the street for good

I enlisted as an Engineer
got a $5000 bonus
the recruiting sergeant was real nice.
He said I’d build roads in Iraq
And that I’d never have to kill nobody

When I got to Iraq I didn’t build no roads
I was put on top of a humvee
with a 50 calibre machine gun.
Under the hot burning sun
there were many shadows

An rpg blew up our humvee and my mates
the round came out of nowhere
and pierced the humvee armor.
Then it pierced my body armor
then it pierced me

One solider asked the Secretary of Defence
why we had such lousy armour
he said, you go to war with what you have.
He resigned to the golf course
I can’t applaud his disgrace with no arms

When I was wounded my pay was cut
I live in a cheap little room
it’s real clear I’m no longer needed.
Politicians ignore me except for parades
but hell, they saved me from the street

Victor Schwartzman
victors@mts.net

Victor Schwartzman lives in Winnipeg. He mostly writes fables and poetry, but also runs the book review socially conscious poetry sections at Outsider Writers (www.outsiderwriters.org). Read other posts by Victor Schwartzman.