Tunnel Mouth

Dust in my teeth
Blood on my tongue
Sun gone nuclear I
never needed one
Wind above
Fire below
Tunnel mouth open that's
where I go
Never needed
Never needed
Trench line shaking dirt rain,
spine stiff
Shells hit close mud jump,
ears lift
Rocket Boy laughing
from a gold lit lift
Bi Bi barking orders
like a counterfeit gift
Mr.
Orange broke the world
over petty pride
Now I'm here
in a hole
with my brothers who died
Sandbags sag,
boots cold,
gloves split
A kid next to
me can't even find
where he's hit
Tracer lines zigzag red
snakes in fog
Heartbeat steady
like a metronome log
Bullets skip dirt flick
rocks on my cheek
Fear don't live here haven't
felt it all week
This ain't new
This ain't shock
It's just another
tyrant using peons
as stock
You fire your nukes,
we duck in the dust
Tunnel mouth open trust
who we trust
Hold Tether tight it's
the only thing real
Young ones shaking,
but I don't feel
Drop bodies quiet no echo,
no cries
Death ain't heavy
when you met
it ten times
Sightline locked,
dirt breath,
cold lungs
This is what I am
when the war drum drums
Kid on my left nineteen,
fresh face
Eyes wide open
like he never seen hate
Hands too shaky
to reload clean
I tap his shoulder,
Breathe.
Move mean.
Round cracks overhead
he drops low
I see the
shooter hundred meters
through smoke
Exhale slow one blink,
one press
Head snaps back,
body folds like rest
Two more pop up on
the ridge line crest
Tag both quick chest,
neck,
chest
Young soldier looks at me
like I raised the sky
I nod once keep moving
no time to reply
War don't stop
for a thank you breath
And I don't
celebrate preventing death
Hold Tether
Hold Tether
This is how it's been
this is how it'll be
Born
for the kill it's
the ice in me
Next shot's long
two hundred out
Figure on a ridge
line breaking about
Silhouette sharp helmet,
pack,
stance
I can't tell what
side no second glance
Finger on steel
breath cuts clean
Trigger breaks vision stays mean
Body drops
Then smoke rolls in
Someone shouts,
That might've been our man.
I just blink once
dirt in my eye
Doesn't matter much in
war you don't try
To sort saints
from sinners
when the shells fly
Who cares
Who lives
Who dies
Tyrants make sure it's always
like this
War over insults they
spit in a fit
You fire your nukes,
we duck in the dust
Tunnel mouth open trust
who we trust
Hold Tether tight it's
the only thing real
Young ones shaking,
but I don't feel
Drop bodies quiet no echo,
no cries
Death ain't heavy
when you met
it ten times
Sightline locked,
dirt breath,
cold lungs
I'm built
for this moment
when the war drum drums
This ain't courage
Ain't honor
Ain't pride
It's just something broken inside
That kills clean
when tyrants lie