Flash Forward

Flash Forward 3/9/2012

One minute you are fine
And the next you are not
Just as easily
Wasted, destroyed, and traded
Like you never lived at all.

If you look far enough
Either forwards or back
Everything becomes the same
Just like it always was.

We are the expendable
Worthless, useless, dumb and dead
All because of circumstances
That no one can control.

As long as we are useful
Everyone will laugh
Until we become an obstacle
And they shoot us in the head.

If you have seen the faces
Then you will never forget
The ones no one would help
That were all washed away.

The agony and the cries
Will remain forever
But so much for feelings
When there is ease and comfort.

We watch our enemies
And we are careful with the law
But we never pay attention
To the people
That call us their friend.

Coming in the back door
And taking without asking
Draining all we worked for
But always wanting more.

Watching every mistake
And counting every step
They keep tabs on the treasure
Because that is what they want.

They prey upon the exhausted
And the heavily obligated
Promising all the shallow comforts
With gifts and praise.

But when the time is ripe
And your back is against the wall
They will turn on you
In an instant
And laugh as you fall.

In the image of the damned
And in the name of the beast
They have killed many
And they will kill you to.

To them it is an achievement
And to them it is just
Because the ends justifies the means
No matter who you trust.

With guile and deceit
Even the mighty have been beaten
Brought down from the back
Or slain in their sleep.

Not all wolves bay at the moon
Because some of them have learned
To lie, manipulate,
And whisper in your ear.

They can be your friend
Or they can be your leader
Telling you sweet nothings
While they lead you to the river.

We are not the first
So we should know better
Because others have written
And others have seen.

Listen to the Greeks
And listen to the Romans
Who built up empires
That have all crumbled away.

Look to the innocent
Who have lived by the truth
Giving up their life
For almost nothing at all.

They also had families
And they also had dreams
Until they stopped watching
And devolved into death.

Other men have stewed in envy
And marinated in hate
Just waiting for the vulnerable moment
To lie, murder, steal.

It isn’t an easy thing to know
And it is a jagged piece of glass
Swallowing the bitter ashes of loss
Without a fight at all.

We look and scan the horizon
And think we have no peer
But seldom do we think
About the greatest danger
Too close to see.

Look at me
See how happy I was
With everything I could ever want
Blessed ten times a thousand.

Thinking that I knew
But knowing only in part
Offered up fat and dead
Split, carved and filleted
For someone else’s reward.

A carefully prepared reminder
Slaughtered under glass
Bred for consumption
By the future and the past.

Surviving takes effort
As well as courage
And victory requires determination
In the face of loss after loss.

To remain standing and vigilant
No matter how long it takes
Resisting all temptation
To compromise with fate.

To take up the sword of liberty
And water it with blood
Fearless and defiant
Against any and all.

It is time to know your friends
As well as your enemies
And separate the good and bad
With an iron heart
And watchful eyes.

Because our fight
Is not just for us
But for the innocent
Those under our care
And those yet to come.