An Obligation
I have never faced war,
no action under fire,
no orders to follow,
parade-free, slouched:
My grandfather declined,
being the religious one,
conscientiousness,
and, so, an objection.
His son ran off to sea,
sealed in a submarine;
Dad learnt how to kill,
and how not to die.
My other grandfather,
lost to Rommel in Africa:
Would I object to orders,
like those I imposed,
on my Action Man
– gripped hands?
I would not:
I owe my past a life.
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