Paul Bell

Old Soldier

The picture stared down at the old man

 

Good times, friends for life

 

The decomposing body was in its second year now

 

The dust and webs had cloaked him like a blanket

 

Giving him comfort that life denied him

 

Time ago, they would have classed him as a hero, time ago

 

The black van took him away

 

Eventually releasing the body for burning

 

The prayers were brief

 

His final epitaph came when the council cleared the house

 

The picture was the last to go in the skip

 

Glancing at it, the worker remarked to his colleague

 

Old soldier.