What they don’t tell you in school
Is that the glare from a rocket isn’t red
It is white
The kind of white one only sees against black
It’s never mentioned that bombs don’t burst in the air
They detonate on contact
Shattering everything at the sight of impact
Collision is very necessary
Collusion is recommended
Nobody sees fit to say
That stars mark the presence of night
Not the absence of day
And that in the rubble
Men are stripped with burns
Like tigers in cages
Awaiting their turn to shine
To light the way to glory
It has never been taught
That flags are not captured
Merely relocated
Transported to someplace with a better vantage point
Away from the ramparts
Which only ever serve to obscure vision
The guns are spoken of
But not the sound of one’s operation
The execution of its purpose
Not the bang and flash of the barrel
The crunch of an adolescent skull meeting lead
There are no lessons on respect for the dead
Only pamphlets passed out with instructions for burial
Pictures of proper salutes
There exists no professor who instructs how to see
When the dull glow of dawn won’t suffice
Loyalty is expected, but never defined
The skills of soldiers identified, but never refined
In the midst of the war
When there’s more than just yourself to save
Nobody teaches you how to be free
Nobody teaches you how to be brave