Illuminated by flares gently descending from dark skies overhead
Ears alert to the ever changing staccatto of gunfire and artillery
Feeling the deep rumblings pass through the earthen ramparts
Smelling the cordite that hangs in the air like some cheap perfume
In the hospital station the air heavy with congealing blood and disinfectant
The dim light from gas lamps casts an eerie glow across serried ranks of dead
At officer training school it did not tell of such horrific scenarios
There lies a man in two portions...one containing his upper torso
Blown apart by a stray bomb...his lips still holding fast his final cigarette
Eyes stare unseeing towards the night sky now lit up by phosporous flares
Glowing sometimes fiery red then at others verdant green
Nostrils flaring,eyes bulging,throat tightening,mind breaking
Standing before the cenotaph with memories flowing...tears running
A poppy in his lapel...reliving Hell on Earth...once more...just once more
Adding your comment:
