An Unrepayable Debt Poem by Erica Graham

Naive and young, off he goes.
Strong and brave, to fight the foe.
Risking his life, battling for freedom,
Doing his duty for King and for Kingdom.

The front is ruthless, deathly and cruel.
Over the soldiers, grief holds its rule.
Rifles fire and cannons roar,
Another boy falls to the cold trench floor.

Walking the rows of perfect white crosses,
Impossible to know or count these great losses.
Blood-coloured poppies in the wind sway,
Marking the place where bravery lay.

© Erica Graham 2014