A Soldier's Ballad

I wore the call like borrowed skin,
"Serve thy nation, cleanse the sin."
But duty whispered in disguise---
And led me blind with open eyes.

I shot a boy whose hands were inked,
His gaze met mine---our fates linked.
His mother's scream became my thread,
A lullaby I sing in dread.

I silenced poets, burned their page,
Mistook their words for rebel rage.
No gun they raised, no war they waged---
Just truths too loud to keep uncaged.

They pinned a medal on my chest,
A shining badge that won't let rest.
Each star a mark I can't erase---
An honor earned in dark disgrace.

They spoke of pride and sacrifice,
But never told me peace has a price.
Now dreams return in uniform,
And every night becomes a storm.

This ballad plays in broken loops,
Of war not won but buried truths.
I bore a flag that bore a lie---
And now I'm left too dry to cry.