Broken and battered

An unrecognizable shell

Torn and tattered

In his own version of hell


The needle slips in

His mind slips out

He does not know his sin

The man is full of doubt


Bloody feet, hands, face

Burning meat, a forgotten shoe

Forced to choose a victim, a place

He sees the devil in you


Left alone with his thoughts

Watching as he kills another on the screen

He hears the piercing shots

What appears to be a person with the mind of a failing machine


He must confess, he must repent

He babbles, drugged, learning the reason

Of all the voices, this one is heaven-sent

A flash and it's gone, the father deeming he's guilty of treason


His friends watch as his life is taken

Shock and sorrow, grief and despair

But now he's breathing, flailing, could they have been mistaken?

He desperately gives clues into the air


The feed is shut off

The team prepares for action

He is shoved forward with one last cough

There's no chance he'll survive, not even a slight fraction


Digging, digging, digging for his own grave

Weakness, shaking, disapproval

The team calls for him, the voices like a shock wave

He waits for the opportunity in the dark night, the awful dull


He fires the gun, a clean shot

The child within looks at his face

Watching him die, that dreadful bloody spot

His friends surround him, but give him space


They go ahead, he lingers

Leaning down, ashamed, knowing the threats

Reaching in the dead man's pocket with his dirty fingers

A clasping hand, a bottle of secrets


Broken and battered

An unrecognizable shell

Torn and tattered

In his own version of hell


There, he is alone

The mirror is not his friend

Angry, jumpy, out of his zone

He just wants the pain to end


He's had enough of the drug

A meeting renamed a movie

The team knows, but it's swept under the rug

A slight smile braces his lips, he's no longer moody


A survivor, a fighter

Living to tell the tale

He feels happier, lighter

For the man thought he would win, but to no avail