Afghanistan 

What do I know of 
dirt ditches
air strikes
friends facedown in the mud

What do I know of 
phone calls
sobbing mothers
clutching children

What do I know of
lost limbs
lives in limbo
hope held hostage

What do I know of
fighting, strong
shouting, frantic
pleading for a plane
surviving, lost
dying, alone

What do I know of 
dying?

What do I know of 
being alive while
being broken
being banished to your own mind

What do I know of
being alive while
being dead?

What do I know of
20 years of fighting for freedom
freedom won not for you
freedom not for me

What do I know of anything except
soft sheets at night
a safe street
a good night’s sleep

What do I know of anything?