War And Remembrance - Ww1 - I Wait Poem by Paul Warren

War And Remembrance - Ww1 - I Wait

Rating: 4.0


The morning of the attack to break the German frontage
Meant for days on end there had been a mighty artillery barrage
We had moved up on the white line the intelligence officer laid
Waiting for the time when my officer will give his signal as waved

The time goes slow when you are laying waiting for the call
When you know that this could be the day when you give your all
Then I hear the whistles blow and we all rise together as one
And I can feel my heart pounding as I know the danger has begun

The machine guns are sputtering and the shells are falling amongst us
When we reach first trench line and the objective without much fuss
And then onto the second trench when I was hit in the chest
Jim pulled me into a shell hole and dressed the wound telling me to stay and rest

So I am sitting in this hole and getting very tired but the wound doesn't hurt
There are explosions around but I don't care until I am finally covered by dirt
But it seems like a long time that I have been waiting sitting in this place
The battle has moved on and the farmer is back tilling the soil in god's grace

In the rising sun the farmer has stopped his tractor and gone to his plow
Now there's the local gendarme and they are all talking as I'm gently lifted now
Then soldiers are carrying and placing me gently down on sacred ground so fine
In a blinding light there is Jim and he says to me, 'Let's go home mate, it's now time.'

© Paul Warren Poetry

Sunday, July 10, 2016
Topic(s) of this poem: ghosts,war
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
There are about 20 Great War soldiers still found in the soil of France and Belgium every year. They are identified if possible and then buried in the War Cemetery nearest where they are found. Lest we forget.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Douglas Scotney 23 September 2016

got this one up via another way Paul. Quite moving. I've been reading and enjoying the Gunther Grass Memoir 'Peeling the Onion'. With its war experience from the other side, it'll be available in the Charles Sturt library system after 4 October.

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Paul Warren

Paul Warren

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
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