Good Soldier

By Sarah Maples

You have to call them sir

You have to call them sir

When they order you to drop
And give them twenty

When they tell the men
Not to be pussies

When they yell
Hey, female!

You have to call them sir

When they put you on duty
For the fifth weekend in a row

When they refuse
To look you in the eye

When they believe you can’t do it
Because you’re a woman

You have to call them sir

When they call you a disgrace
Because you have tits in uniform

When they snicker about how you’re
A bitch, a slut, a dyke

When they say
No one is going to rescue
A fat girl from the battlefield

You have to call them sir

When they promise to be discreet
If you can ignore their wives

When they’re drunk and
They say: don’t tell

When you report it,
But they don’t want to ruin his career

You have to call them sir

Only, you don’t-

Have to call them sir.

You only think you do.

****

Sarah Maples is a former Air Force intelligence officer and Afghanistan veteran. In her post-military career, she has held a variety of positions, including Director, National Security and Foreign Affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sarah is currently pursuing a Master's in Publishing through George Washington University. She also holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master's in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University, and a B.A. in German and Russian from Tulane University. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Task & Purpose, Line of Advance, Rally Point, and on her veterans resource blog, After the DD-214.