The dogs of war

feed on the carcasses
of young men and women
who are tricked into believing
that profit is not the motive.

The military trafficks
in innocent young people
who are lured into performing
illegal and immoral acts.

Innocent teenagers are turned into
war whores by uniformed pimps
who are rewarded with lifetime
retirement pensions.

Worthless minds and bodies

As we endlessly regurgitate and analyze
America’s misadventures in Afghanistan,
how do we tell the soldiers who survived
and the families of those who didn’t
that their lives were worth nothing?

How do we explain to our sons and daughters that
the excruciating pain of lost limbs and tortured minds
was suffered for no reason other than to feed the
bloodlust of myopic politicians and fill the coffers
of mercenary weapons manufacturers?