Missing

A solo mission to
recover my integrity:
missing in action
since that
furious skirmish
on the outskirts
of my idealism.
Telling comrades of capture
by radical militants,
I embark on my
dead-end quest,
knowing full well that
my absent virtue
slunk away when the
gunfire began,
avoiding
dishonourable discharge
by disappearing into
the night,
no doubt to drink
until under the table
or under the covers
with some new
inglorious mistress.
Leaving me here
in darkened wilderness,
carrying the can
of carrying out duty:
delaying the inevitable
empty-handed return
with shattered heart
and ravaged reputation.