THIS IS NOT A GAME

There aren’t three strikes in this game.
No instant replays or do over’s.
There’s no “we’ll get them next time” or “at least you tried your best”.
No room for error or death is what you get.
I sit in my room
Listen to music while lying on my soft bed.
My biggest worry- what to make for dinner.
Clear blue skies, cars driving by. Peace.
Thousands of miles away a solider sits on his hard bunk,
Listening to the gun shots and explosions in the distance.
His biggest worry: will he make it back alive this time?
Will his daughter grow up with her daddy by her side?
Worlds away, but still so real,
TVs on, but easily shut off when images of war are shown.
No off button there.
Horror everyday; pink clouds when bombs blow
Body parts are scattered.
The smell of death lingers.
“The experience didn’t rattle him. Worse, it changed him.
He realized that this is not a game.”