poem

 The Martyrs

If you die for a poem you get 10 points.

If you die for love, advance directly to go

And collect a handful of white sand.

If you die for your country you get an eagle-themed tattoo and a gold chain for your watch.

If you die for a million bucks you get a nice coffin.

If you die for something you lost, someone else finds it 

And skips it across a pond like a stone.

If you die for a creed you stay right where you are.

If you die for a mystical vision

You get to rewrite the rules of a game

That no one beside yourself ever plays.

If you die of a broken heart

You don’t have to come back.

If you die from fear

You get to skip hell 

But don’t ascend into heaven. 

If you die angry

You have to draw from a stack

Of red cards—

Whatever it says you must do.

If you die for the good

The light stays on 

And someone remembers you.

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