Ghosts - The Captain's Report Poem by Paul Warren

The diggers were on the tapes in No Man's Land
The captain had his lips on his whistle for the start to command
The hand of his watch went around to zero hour
And he blew his whistle loud for the attack to empower

All his men rose up as one and advanced to the front
They were attacking the Germans and taking the brunt
Of the British attack and they knew many would fall
The captain went to the barbed wire to his men he did call

They ran to the trenches and it was a hand to hand fight
And they saw the captain was into the fight with all his might
So the attack went on to take the St Quentin Mount
A feat that in the Great War they really did count

The colonel was in the command bunker waiting the report
And in the fog of war meant the waiting was fraught
With apprehension of the fate of his men in the attack
So he was waiting for the captain to report back

The blanket covering the bunker door was pulled away
And the captain entered the bunker with his nerves all in a fray
He saluted the colonel and gave his report
Asking for reinforcements urgently as they were sought

The colonel nodded and an agreement was made
The captain left saying he could not be delayed
The reinforcements saved the day and the colonel went forward
With congratulations all around as the battalion's reward

Then the colonel asked for the captain and there were frowns all around
He was told the captain died when the fight was on disputed ground
And they needed help to win the day the captain was shot through the heart
When giving orders to a company runner for the message to depart

The runner was shot down trying to get across no man's land
And so the diggers thought that they could not get help in their plan
So it seemed the captain after being killed on that day
Found a way to help the diggers by reporting to him that way.

© Paul Warren Poetry