What have I learned so far? And kind of job? Anything that will earn me a living? I only know how to kill. G-d; I can't take it anymore! What can I do? It doesn't make sense. I'm here, dying in this f-ing senseless stupid war. Fighting, fighting, all this fighting, for what? Honour? But we all know there is no dignity in death. What do I care about honour?! What do all those who've had their heads shot off care about honour? They don't need honour, they need a grave, no medals, no congratulations, only a grave. A f-ing grave, is that too much to ask for?!
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. Ha! If the Kaiser was here! If only he saw the truth of war! The Kaiser in his pretty robes, what does he know of war? At least I know how to kill, but nothing else. I don't know if I'll see mother again. And even if I do, what will it be like? I used to be a mother's child, now I am but a nobody left behind in the desert of meaninglessness. Twenty years have gone by, and here I am. A nobody.
There is no return. I can't go back to what used to be “home”. There is no such thing as home anymore. Maybe the bombs have already devoured it all. A rain of fire upon this house filled with childhood memories that are no more. Cleansing fire, burning away all the memories, the hope of a better future. Burning it all down, until there is just nothingness. No war, no fear, no soldiers. Burning down all evil, those who invented these weapons of hell, those who invented the trenches, those who invented war.
Author notes
German class assignment
Erich Maria Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues)
A contest entry
- give me your writes from october 09' by HereComesTheSun.
950 points, ended October 31, 67 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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bluntly raw
brilliant
thanks for entering -
War!!
So pointless and meaningless. I really like the bluntness with which you make that point. Very well done and lots of luck in your class assignment.
If you get chance, I have just read a poem on this subject by another poet. It is called 'Fields of Passhendale' by Bluemonday44....it is a gem of a poem - maybe it could be shown to your class. It refers also to the 'lions and donkeys', which is what you describe in your poem too.
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Thank you for commenting, I will search for this poem and read it! The problem, though, is that I still have to translate my piexce into German and I'd have to do that with the one by Bluemonday44 as well, and it would probably lose some of its meaning, same with mine, unfortunately.
Annie 
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Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori. Sweet and honorable it is to die for one's country. Those are some of the saddest words ever written, tinged with the bitterest irony. Have you read Wilfred Owen's poem on this topic? I first read it a few summers ago at a special English class I was taking and it broke my heart. After that I read a book by Tim O'Brien called The Things They Carried and wrote a poem by the same name that I still cry every time I read...
I can feel the emotion in this assignment you have done for your class. I hope you get a top grade for it because you deserve it!
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Thank you!
I have not read the poem by Wilfred Owen but I will search for it. I remember reading this poem of yours and planning to read the book as well...
Hope all is well with you!
Lots of love
Annie 
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