THE THOUGHTS OF A SOLDIER

 

I joined the army as a soldier then a killer by command
Became judge and executioner in my time
Maimed and killed my country’s enemies with total dis-regard
Performed the duties of a soldier down the line

I’ve been spat at sworn and thrown at,
Stoned and thrashed with bamboo canes.
Sometimes belted with a rifle or a lash,
Then left strung up rigid by the arms

Suffered the water treatment and decapitation threat,
Gone without food or drink for days beneath the sun.
Worked and treated like a coolie for fifteen hours a day
With nothing left to show for what I had done

Yet! there’s nothing more soul destroying
Or anything which brings me pain
Than being betrayed by one’s own government
For whom I had fought and served in vain.

 Arthur Lane