The rough of it, the tough of it,
goddamn, we’ve had enough of it.
To hell! We’ll roar, we’ll take no more
and that will be the end of it.
We’ll strive to be, you’ll cease to be;
the best of men will come to be.
We’ll take our lot no matter what
whatever then, we’ll choose to be.
Been quiet ’till now, been meek ’till now;
we’ve held our peace, that is, ’till now.
We may to force, no other course,
all other means, we’ve tried ’till now.
To live, for what, this life, for what,
why must we even ask, for what?
We’ve stood your pains and wore your chains;
your rule and greed, is that for what?
To arms, we must, to war, we must;
we’ll win this day with blood, we must.
Into the fray, make hell, make pay,
and so be it if slain, we must.
What of the end, is this the end,
what we have done to meet our end?
Should we have died, our hopes denied;
of nowt but blood into the end.
And what of us, what left of us,
to bone and dust the best of us.
And all for what, with time forgot
not even hope remembers us.
-
Author:
Tony Grannell (
Offline) - Published: October 19th, 2026 10:24
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 10
- Users favorite of this poem: Teddy.15, Paul Bell, arqios, Kevin Hulme, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments7
The plight of man in a poem. Nicely written the short straw so to speak where living is hardly living and discontent rules. Nicely written my friend
Hello, Soren,
This one motors on in madness, into the valley of death, as it were. Always look forward to your visits and they are very much appreciated.
Do take care now,
Tony.
A pleasure Toney look forward to your work
Fabulous and so original. The plight of us! 🌹
Hello, Teddy,
The plight of insanity and the history of it. Lovely to hear from you and your words are always very much appreciated.
Fond regards,
Tony.
You listen to the old vets of Britain, and in unity they can't believe how the country has went down the pan.
I recall Montgomery being side stepped by the politicians after the war.
So as the poem says. Bone and dust and forgotten.
Hello, Paul,
... and all for what, those who remembered them are dead - bone and dust indeed. Thank you very much for your fine response.
All the best,
Tony.
Exquisitely put together. A fave 🤩👍🏻🕊️
Hello, arqios,
I am most pleased that you enjoyed this one and thank you very much for taking the time to drop by.
Fond regards,
Tony.
As Michael Caine once said: What's it all about'?
A fine Poem as usual.
Hello, Kevin,
What a great question, even historians are baffled. Thank you, most kind of you indeed.
Do take care now,
Tony.
And you.
Holy hell, Tony! What a smashing poem! I could practically hear this being shouted from a stage with a full orchestra behind it. Absolutely magnificent, my friend! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Hello, Tristan,
We could do a duet, I'm okay on the guitar, not a great singer, but I'll give it a go. How about you? Lol! As always your words bring me joy.
Fond regards,
Tony.
So... Which side do we fight on, when both sides promise orphans and broken promises. Interesting poem, a call to arms perhaps, for the already defeated. Nothing left to lose, just an inchoate despair for these times when all banners lie in the mud. Interesting. Love the last line.
Hello, Jabberwocky,
Madness into a known failure and the brutal consequences therein. Your fine response is very much appreciated.
All the best,
Tony.
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