The Soldier Poem by Gerard Woods

He awoke from his dirty muddy hole,
shivering cold, To be told,
by an officer with red tired eyes,
We attack before light,
Be ready to kill for wrong or for right
Be ready.'
A cup of tea before dying, the soldier thought,
As he read through the bible a week ago he'd bought.
A passage he read in the bible said,
'thou shalt not kill.
He pondered over the words,
As he stood in the trench rifle in hand,
Ready to charge over no mans land.
'thou shalt not kill, '
'Thou shalt not kill.