"The Hammer"

by Mason Rodrigue

They asked "Who will swing this Hammer?"
and we answered the call.
We went to War,
and they went to the mall.
The Hammer was Heavy.
The Hammer was Ours.
For 20 years we swung the Hammer
for the Bars and Stars-
We were the Spear that kills
We were the Shield that guards.
We swung the Hammer,
no task was too hard.
For two decades we lost the best of us,
all that's left is the rest of us. 
We didn't question whether or not it was just-
we mattered to eachother, so it mattered to us.
Governments recruit kids to fight their wars,
when children die they shrug their shoulders
because they know they can get more,
they don't even have to tell us 
what we die for anymore.
You may say it was for nothing, 
you may say it was in vain-
but I won't let you shame their honor,
I will make you say their names.
If we do nothing about it then we are the ones 
who should be ashamed.
It's time to call for accountability of the machine
from which our hammer swingin' gained,
the criminals who used our deaths for political gain,
the snakes who gave lip service to our service
for their own fortune and fame.
It's time to unite and say to the ones 
who created this hell-
Here's your fucking Hammer,
next time swing it yourselves.
I don't have all the answers,
I'm just another Marine.
I can't think of any other way to make it 
"Worth it" for the Thirteen.

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Learn more about Mason Rodrigue and how to support his poetry here. You can also follow him on Instagram here.