The Things We Take For Granted

The shriek of the siren

Jerks us awake,

And we stumble outside

With all we can take.

The volunteers apologise,

There's nothing to eat,

The sun is harsh, and

There are blisters on our feet.

-

I wake up in the morning

And jump to my feet,

Then run into the shower

And soon, out to the street.

I'm late for work

And forgot my notes,

Didn't eat anything

Because I burnt the toast.

-

My grandma can't see,

And my dad lost a leg,

Now he broods and despises

The necessity to beg.

A soldier grabs my brother

To take him away,

My mum and I plead,

'Please let him stay'.

-

My shoes look worn,

I notice as I hurry,

And I think I need glasses

Because my eyesight's blurry.

My boss frowns at me

As I walk through the door,

I grimace and

Avert my eyes to the floor.

-

A scuffle breaks out

But we get my brother back,

The soldier leaves us

But I don't doubt he'll be back.

We walk with the others,

Thirsty and hungry,

I daydream about water,

About food... about luxury.

-

My day drags on,

And it's finally lunchtime,

I grumble about the number

Of people in the line.

I moan about the food,

As I sit with my mates,

We talk about shopping

And holiday dates.

-

At the next camp,

We don't have a tent,

So we sit in the sun,

And pray and repent.

By the time night falls,

There is a breeze in the air,

There is a sigh of relief

From everywhere.

-

At the end of the day,

I watch some TV,

My neighbour comes over

And hangs out with me.

We eat junk food

And stay up really late,

It's Saturday tomorrow

So no chance that I'll be late.

-

A bang and a scream

Drags me awake,

I'm certain that my eyes

Are making a mistake.

But no, there really is

Blood trickling everywhere,

I feel a sudden pain

And there's a smell in the air.

-

At five in the morning,

I stumble to bed,

My eyes are drooping,

But I feel warm and fed.

I still vaguely wish

That I had a nicer home,

Where I wasn't so stressed,

Or so alone.

-

I've got a bullet

Lodged somewhere in me,

My family is dead,

None of us could flee.

As darkness rushes in,

And I start to fall,

I realise that perhaps

Peace wasn't so far after all.