Friendship
Through all the nightmares of war, Mena develops these friendships that help him get through the traumatizing experiences. Together with his comrades, they face similar struggles and when the battlefield gets so chaotic, he can depend on his fellow men to have his back no matter what. In a place where you could die at any moment, these friendships become the only familiar thing that you must hold on to at all costs. These friendships prevent these soldiers from losing their minds completely. When one of his friends in war is injured, he frequently checks upon him and makes sure he’s not alone through the toughest of times.
War
The author is a highly decorated veteran who was part of the unit that fought for the freedom of the Iraqi people. Through this collection of poems, Mena details the destruction and violence that war brings on the people directly affected by it. He uses intimate words to showcase the toll that war has had on him and those close to him. Mena portrays the highest form of bravery by exposing his struggles with the things he had to do in the name of war.
Death and Grief
Throughout the collection, Mena expresses a great sense of grief for all the lives that were lost. While some deaths were inflicted by enemy combatants, others were inflicted by him and his comrades. Even though he killed people that deserved it, he still questions his hand in taking the lives of these people. He thinks about the families that were tormented in grief because of his actions. When he finally returns home to a peaceful society that’s far away from a battlefield, he can’t help but feel like he’s partly responsible for all the destruction left in their wake in the Middle East.
