Freedom Ain’t Free

They fight for the freedom of a country that isn’t free

Forged in hypocrisy

Aim the bullet at the eagle for sport

And still somehow believe this is a democracy

Pledge allegiance to the flag for which it stands

A life of liberty, an indivisible nation under God

And justice? For all?

We are the ones who took the fall and recall the sacrifice daily

How do I look my own child in their eyes

When another man’s daughter fell to the ground at my feet, bloodied and marred

From the explosives created for me

As I tell her to step back, wondering inconclusively, is she strapped with explosives

But I can’t pull the trigger

How do I look my wife, my daughter, my mother in their eyes when

I couldn’t prevent the Viet Cong from knocking the teeth out of one woman’s mouth,

And pouring gasoline down her throat

And raping a 12-year-old girl with mental health issues

And because I lose a limb I’m called a hero and granted a purple heart

When I’ve lost all heart, quite literally falling apart

How do you comb through those memories

And not let them fester into nightmares and PTSD triggers at every sound that explodes

Like a gun shot, IED, or bomb going off, distrustful of all human life

How do I deal with all this strife

But the craziest thing is, through loss of limb and lack of emotional capacity to thrive,

I would do it all again, if it meant my children, family, legacy

Would still have essential freedoms, the American way of life

Freedom to choose one’s religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms for protection

Of life, family and property, for I value this way of existence

I’ve seen and experienced far too much to resist it, for as we all know

Freedom ain’t free, so I’d proudly bare the cross as Jesus did for me

There is no separation of God and Country if we want to flourish as a United Nation

I’m here for the duration, as I’ve sacrificed my life for America

And will forever be a Patriot, a Veteran, and a Savior…