Universal Soldier

after Donovan

He’s five-foot-two
and he’s six feet tall
and dead along the desert road,

he’s only twenty, thirty, forty,
he’s been a soldier fighting wars
for those who stay at home.

He’s a Moslem, Catholic, Coward,
he’s a Buddhist, Baptist, Brave,
he’s a Jew, he’s you, he’s screwed.

He thinks that somehow
he’ll put an end to war
but war puts an end to him.

He’s fighting for democracy,
he’s going to war for peace,
fooled by Pax Romana.

He’s a universal soldier
and his orders come from far away---
the far away corners in the mind.

His orders come from you, from you, from you,
you pull the trigger, you drop the bomb
but you couldn’t do it without me.