a mercenary is always a stranger

a mercenary is always a stranger

fiction
edward w pritchard

A mercenary is always a stranger,
a mercenary soldier never comes to the unit reunions ten years after all the battles are fought and finished,
a mercenary never stands at the grave sides of veteran comrades who survived half dozen battles but succumbed to dreaded diseases of life,
a mercenary doesn't subscribe to the units reunion newspaper,
a mercenary doesn't hum the unit's battle songs while they whittle on the porch,
a mercenary is a hireling,
a mercenary clutches to foreign lucre,
a mercenary is always a stranger.
a mercenary is not a comrade.