smiling young faces
sixteen summers seen
lives full of promise
now eager to please
"just turned eighteen sir"
earns infantry green
runaway schoolboy
for country and king
rifles and bayonets
shell holes and mud
barbed wire and trenches
young brothers of blood
landscape of corpses
the shells tear apart
counting lost friendships
fear in his heart
springtime in Wiltshire
blackbird sings to the night
staring to heaven
prays he's alright
clutching the letter
from runaway son
somewhere in Belgium
he longs for his mom
fields full of gravestones
all races and creeds
sacrificed lifes, now
planted like seeds
"your country needs you"
each nation took heed
and died on the wire
that we may be free
november morning
two thousand nineteen
a hundred years mourned
on the old village green
names carved in granite
their faces unseen
lest we ever forget them
or that bloody regime
all war is obscene
-
Author:
dusk arising (
Offline) - Published: November 9th, 2019 06:13
- Comment from author about the poem: This is a repeat from last rememberance Sunday with one word altered for this year. A war to end all wars? 101 years later, what lesson learned?
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 21
- Users favorite of this poem: Poetic Dan
Offline)
Comments6
A useful and true write DA.
Brilliantly done with a smashing ending!
Yet we still haven't listened and kept feeding the machine, one day we'll have to let go of every ridiculous war.
Then each soul can be remembered for the spirit of peace they were fighting for.
Thanks for the inspiration
Much rest and respect 😉
Oh the heartache raised in this read when youth for excitement lied to be seen as noble until death ended their dream - and how I agree with the truth in your final line Dusk - - -- "all war is obscene"
Thanks or sharing DA ~ YES *ALL WAR IS - BY ITS VERY NATURE - OBSCENE* But is is justified if those it opposes is infinitely more OBSCENE ! This was certainly true if WW2 (1939 ~ 45) in which the Allies (UK ~ USA etc) fought against ADOLF HITLER and the Third REICH !The REICH was formed in 1933. Hitler set out to conquer EUROPE by fair means or foul and to exterminate all European Jews ~ simply because the were JEWS. Six Million Jews were murderedand millions of German ~ Militray & Civilians and Millions of Allied Military were killed 20 million in TOTAL ! It was a very OBSCENE WAR but giving HITLER (and His Allies) a free hand would have been much more OBSCENE ! I (BRIAN) was born in 1983 so I have never been conscripted to fight in a WAR but should WW3 start in the next decade I might be ! In HIS anti-war POEM (published pothumously in 1920) Wilfred Owen quotes HORACE (Ode 3.2 on the VALOUR of Roman Soldiers)
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
PRO PATRI MORI
IT IS SWEET & FITTING
TO DIE FOR ONES COUNTRY
In WW2 ~ because of the INHUMANITY of Hitler ~ Member of the UK MIlitary who survived ~ many badly injured ~ have indicated that they would willingly of died ~ along their comrades to free Europe from an INSANE & EVIL TYRANT ~ Of course all WARS are not that POLARISED as GOOD againt EVIL and that is the dillema ! We have to ask ourselves the QUESTION *Would we be prepared to die to rid our Country or Continent of a TYRANT* and would we consider our SIDE of the WAR ~ OBSCENE or HONOURABLE (FITTING) ? Individuals can of course opt-out and be CONSCIENCIOUS OBJECTORS or NON-COMBATANT (Medical Workers etc) Thanks for sharing it is big topic !
Blessings & Peace to YOU & YOURS
BRIAN & ANGELA 💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡
All war is certainly obscene d a, those who died must be remembered for themselves, as we surely do.
yes, never forget, the lies that sent millions to die.
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