Conflicted thoughts and wearied eyes
They walk amongst the fallen
Their faded dreams have sunk like stones
Their service now forgotten
Never will they know again
The joy their boyhood fostered
Forever seeing bombs and lead
Exploding near their brothers
Life outpouring, civil warring
Tragedy strikes deep
Dirt naps bring them jaded peace
Into the ground they seep
Mike, you very kindly commented on one of the first batch of poems I posted in PH and I have belatedly got round to reading some of yours. This is a powerful piece. My late father was a POW in WW2 and kept a notebook of poems written by fellow POW's of the things they saw and went through. I would love to share them on here but of course I did not write them so cannot do so. Suffice to say they brought home to me things that him and I never talked about. I have transcribed them all and the original notebook is my most prized possession.
It would be nice if you could start a PoemHunter page in your father's name.
Nicely written poem. Great title. Powerful subject matter. I like how you broke your lines to bring added emphasis to specific words. Well done.
Powerful and Provoking, a brutal look at what it means to be a soldier, it seems harsh to look at it but in truth its what happens, after the 21 gun salute all you get is the eternal silence of a full like that could have been. This one definitely leaves a mark. Its interesting though that a soldier to survive they will always have a war still in their mind. Its a brave and great thing to serve a country more should be remembered then the politicians that wage their lives. A great read.
I have no idea what it means to be a soldier. I've never been one. But it is incredibly sad and unnecessary what soldiers around the world go through in service, and what they have to live with forever after
My whole family is military. I personally have two sons who served and are serving. thank God they did not suffer that ignominious fate. good one.
Sorry to hear that. It is too common a tragedy for young people to die or otherwise become scarred in war
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
[...]Their faded dreams have sunk like stones Their service now forgotten Never will they know again[...] These lines are incredible Mike! ! I simply don't know if I should try to write about this poem or let it seep into my veins.. I would choose the later, but say that you are amongst my favourite poets in this site.. An incredible poem from a wonderful poet.. Tragedy has rarely been described in such a manner with such precision.. Breif and beautiful.. You got two big fans in Kelly and me mate.. Keep penning them down! !