Death May Create Martyrs Poem by Francis Duggan

Death may create Martyrs but facts never lie
You cannot help your Country if for it you die
You may not like or agree with what I have to say
That a living coward is worth more than a dead hero I see it that way
The Nation's leader lauds all of those who died brave
And the bugler plays the last post at the dead soldier's grave
The one who was gallant in the gap of fear
But the bugle that blows for him he does not hear
Of sorrow and suffering the deceased may be free
But life is most important as most would agree
Of dead heroes so much has been written and said
But the praises of the living cannot be heard by the dead
All I wish for in life is a long healthy span
And to die in my sleep as a very old man.