war isn't a game why can't you see that?

its a poem i wrote for my friend elihu who's dreamed of joinng the army since i can remember

every day the clock ticks

every day the day i dread gets closer

the day that you're old enough

to join the army

 

its what you've always wanted

its what rips me up inside every day

every night i got to sleep

knowing

that day is one day closer

one day closer to you getting shot

one day closer to you loosing a limb

one day closer to you maybe dying

one day cloer to you crossing that boundray

 

you've played the games so much

you think that you know it all now

that you'll be the perfect soldier

but there are so many things

that game didn't show

 

you could die

there's no second life

there's no restart

 

what happens after you kill?

will you ever forget that person?

why did you have to kill them?

was it self-defense?

was it because it was an ambush?

or did your hand just slip?

 

i know that your doing a great service to you country

but forget about your contry just this one time

and think about us

 

you mother

she lost your father

in war as well

are you going to

put her through that again?

 

your siblings?

Me?

Your friends?

 

are you going to put us all through that again?

I know  I can't make you stay

but i'll try nonetheless