They talked of Bravery and choice
Seeped out into the forbidden
I could hear the sadness in their voice
But I pretended as if it were hidden.
Walked on down to the sign up sheets
Wrote my name on the line
I heard the sound of the soldier’s feet
As if it were a sign
As the day had come
To serve my founding fathers
Warned me did some
As I kissed my wife and daughters.
“Ill be back, ” said I with a grin
They waved goodbye as the trucks pulled away
The old man spoke of great sin
He told me I should stay.
The morning had arrived
Couldn’t stand the stench
I prayed I’d survive
And got down into my trench.
Bullets flew through the air
Bodies lay close to my leg
I tried hard not to stare
His head cracked like an egg.
The sight I’m gazing upon
Is not at all what I had thought?
Still killing past the dawn
Leave the enemy there to rot.
The conditions are so poor
Massacred was my friend Ben
I shot out with hate and swore
And called for the corpsmen.
He died right there in my arm
I cried out to the sky
Panicked and flung about in alarm
Why did I let him die?
We charged on with fury
And sang our troop song
Now the soldiers are in a hurry
Doing what’s rightfully wrong.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Hello Marisa. Your title caught my eyes and your poem touched my heart and soul; well done.