Soldiers First

They told us to stand With our faces to the wall So close we couldn’t breathe They were children But there was no glow in their eyes Not a single ounce of love in their laughter They were soldiers Now and forever They told us to walk Side by side Hands in the air Silently moving But they had us backwards Their thoughts were backwards Brainwashed by hatred Then with shallow steps They approached us And we watched as their tongues Collided with the roofs of their mouths Their words backwards Their notions were backward Spun around by those too weak to fight Their own backwards battle But as fear overflowed in me Their language So backwards from mine Felt so calming to me Brought me to a complete ease And for one moment I thought I could soothe their backwards hearts Because after all they’re children But I was wrong, they’re soldiers