The cannons resound.
Their deafening ringing smothers my voice
Silences my questioning thoughts
Leaves only the orders I was given.

The pain abounds
But I’ve already shut out all choice.
This battle in which I’m caught
Is just, or so it is reasoned.

The fire falls.
It burns, it sears, it scorches.
The scar tissue that remains is not me
But I am blind and numb in the pursuit of this skeletal beauty.

Their voice echoes.
Keep pushing, keep fighting, keep dying.
With each crying step I burn more away
As the death of myself holds the tears at bay.

Their orders remain,
Dictating my sight, my steps, my life.
Pictures painted by propaganda propagate within my mind
As I wave and leave truth’s pure image far behind.

The guns cackle.
Their laughing onslaught pierces me to the core
Their gossip dictating the life and death
Of my very self, my inner breath.

The bullets sink
Far deeper than the flesh can be
Far further than my eyes can see
Shattering the love of my identity.

These biased truths
Cover the lies, fan the flames, seal my eyes.
Their words drew me in and spurred me on
Now what’s lost I never knew could be gone.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall
In which War shall I fall?