Disclaimer: S. E. Hinton owns The Outsiders.

A/N: A poem I wrote about Steve and Sodapop's relationship while they are stationed in Vietnam.

*This poem is dedicated to all of the men and women who had served in the war or are currently serving.

Thank you for keeping our country safe.

Hero without the S

Gray is the dog tag that is tied around your neck,

Gray is the uniform that hangs off your loose frame,

Gray is the switch replaced by a rifle --

So shiny and big

-

I asked you to stop,

I begged you to stay,

But you pressed on

and walked through the fire of war,

Saying that we'd be okay

-

Anger rushes through my veins when I see

Silver bullets tear your chest

and cease your last breaths,

Limp body falling to the cold surface of the earth,

Final cries frozen in mid air

-

The sound is deafening around us

As tears roll down my face,

But I hold onto your hand

and pray to God that you'll be

Okay

-

Just one more second

(Please)

Sixty seconds tops

and you'll be saved today,

Just hold on until I'm

Ready

(To let you go)

-

Don't leave yet,

I'm not done with you

and neither is this world

-

Then you betray me,

Your best friend,

By deciding to leave

-

You fucking coward

I hate you

No --

I hate me

-

For a little bit the heroin

Keeps the pain away,

Shoves it into a closet

and throws the key away

-

It burns my memory until

My mind goes blank,

Disintegrates the memories of you and me

That crawls over my skin,

Eating me

-

Sometimes I wake up in a sweat

Only to find that I'm alone,

Trapped in this darkness

Of never-ending bitterness

-

Heart no longer beats but

I'm still alive,

Dead inside

With my façade scarred for all eternity

(Aren't I lucky?)

-

Now as I sit here

With you six feet under,

I remember you said

That I'd be okay

-

And for awhile,

I actually believed

You.