Frontlines

The ugly truth of always putting others first. // 1st place in Oct. 2022 Newbie Contest

“Is there anybody in your life that puts you first?”
A million-dollar question
with the most impoverished of answers.

No;
or at least, not in the way I should be.

The only time I am first
is when there must be a sacrifice,
and I am the bargaining chip to give to the troll under the bridge.

Ahead of my loved ones,
I am always the first one that danger hits-
and somehow, my life is always ending as everyone else is turning around to flee.

I suppose that when I really think about it though, to say that nobody puts me first would be a lie.

In fact,
I am the first name that comes to mind when people hear the word “failure,”
and I am the first person accused in any crime.

I am the first person that friends come to with a problem,
and I am the first person to always swallow my pride.

I am the first carcass in a sea of collateral damage,
and I am the first person willing to die,

Because you see,
I am only the leader of the pack,
so that everyone else can survive.