Its 5am, its cold and muddy
I have not had dry feet in two weeks
Dreams of feather comfortors
And endless sleep
Are shattered from the thunder of guns
And the shouting of the sergeants
My pal known to me from god knows when
Wants to give me his watch and letters
' Just in case '.
I wonder if he should have my effects?
I am standing right next to him.
I press my forehead to the muddy ditch
And wonder what patriotic speech
And pipes and drums got me here.
I must be a puppet, a sheep or just stupid.
The whistle screams and the roar of the men
Propels me over the ditch
I don't hear gunfire in this hellish noise
But a third of my platoon
Pitch forward on their knees
I cannot see my friend
Nor do I see the machine gun round
That enters my chest, and smashes my spine
I feel no pain
But I fall crying for what I am going to lose
For my sister, who at this moment
Does not anticipate my end
In the filth and stink of the Somme.
Peace for all those lost.This is such a powerful poem.It puts the reader in the centre of the action and there is so much sadness as we can almost feel the thoughts of the afflicted.Great write.You are a very tallented person and a highly valued poet in my opinion.love Duncan
This is an excellent portrayal of the battle of the Somme. The grief, misery and pain.
A very moving and well written piece of art. I enjoyed it's read immensely. Thank you very much for sharing....ams
i think it is really moving and i really glad you let us read it take care kelly
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I think of the lines from a poem by Carl Sandburg in which a little boy said, something like this, 'Someday they'll have a war and nobody will come.'I am moved by this poem and thank you for writing it. Kindest regards, Sandra Fowler