The Hopeless Soldier Poem by Michael John Cook

Frozen stiff, he lay holding his breath,
He could smell the horrid stench of death,
Afraid for his life, he did not flinch,
No limb nor even eyeball moved an inch,
His chest covered by the lifeless body of his friend,
The enemy approached, this must be the end,
He could not decide whether to close his eyes,
To take the inevitable bullet by surprise,
With the weight of the dead upon his chest,
He drew a few shallow, desperate breaths,
He could see the enemy searching through the dead,
The odd gunshot rang out and filled him with dread,
His regiment completely destroyed,
The enemies determination buoyed,
He lay in wait with his eyes wide open,
That they might miss him, he was left hoping,
After hours the noises fell all but silent,
The pain in his legs grew ever more violent,
He must free himself soon, he realised,
But the fear inside had him paralysed,
The darkness began to set in overhead,
He was so tired he could not even lift his head,
He had been sure that he had not been hit,
Yet now had not even the strength to sit,
His body beginning to feel heavy and weak,
The prospects for him were now truly bleak,
A rage of jealousy came over the infantry soldier,
As he thought of his wife and longed just to hold her,
The other poor men had no time to think,
Yet they also never had time for their spirit to sink,
The pain in his body now beginning to numb,
His heartbeat now slowing, the end sure to come,
His eyes flickered open. His hand, on his gun, did once more squeeze,
Then off to sleep dear soldier, rest now, at ease