Words That Burn

jingoism, by bill shields

I never wore a yellow ribbon
& I’ve bled for this country
no flag either
or “WELCOME HOME HEROES” bumper sticker on my car
I can’t find one good thing to say
about American teen-agers firing extremely high-tech weaponry
against a virtually unarmed enemy
A parade for our heroes?
A parade for death?
What was the body count anyway?
How many Iraqi children died with our metal in their bones?
I’m not going to make a nineteen year old kid a hero
for having the innocence to kill
I have two Purple Hearts myself
for being young & stupid
& that is not an excuse
to fill a coffin