"Semper Fi"
by Mason Rodrigue
Marines Fight.
Marines Die.
Marines don’t get to question why.
If there was one thing I could do with my life,
I’d go relieve that Marine on the line
so he could go home to his wife.
If it was the last thing I ever did,
I’d trade places with him
so he could raise his kids.
But he is a Marine, and he would tell me no.
He is a Marine, he’d say
“where I am sent-I go.”
He wouldn’t ever hand over his gun,
he’d say “I’m holding the line until the mission is done.”
He’d go without sleep
and live off cigarettes,
he’d never weep or have regrets.
I’m humbled to have known such men
who were so willing to die.
This is what they mean when they say
Semper Fi.
Learn more about Mason Rodrigue and support his poetry here. You can also follow him on Instagram here.
Learn more about the Veterans Repertory Theater here.