Ode to Armor

human places, you said,

where ghosts only hang in the shadows

but you are not human, you are the Engine

demolishing the mindless hordes

of giant alien ants

in the sand dunes of a distant world

whoever wrote your story

must have seen the horrors of too many battles

closer to home

but dark lessons learned on the battlefield

follow you

to places where you can't hide

and sometimes

a few drinks and a fishing pole

are your only true friends

ones you can't lose

to huge black mandibles

and razor claws

and your own

heroic mistakes

that sit forever in the pit of your soul