Remembrance Of Dead Soldiers
Grieve not for dead soldiers
they are dead, they are dead
at peace forever in the blessed oblivion
of unawareness and silent darkness.
Their remains lie in tidy military rows
and as many leave their pulverized bones
lost in deep thick cold mud along with
discarded horses and murdered children.
No longer do they hold faint hope of promised glory
within fantasy of youthful invincibility
wagering their souls for the lies
of politicians and generals.
Naive and ignorant pawns they went
to commit the same atrocities as the enemy
but any soldier can justify following orders
especially when each has a god on their side.
Grieve instead for the multitudes of innocents
and their children, just as so even now
fear, hunger, cold, heat, thirst, loneliness
enduring each painful forged moment
forever on throughout the gauntlet of their raped lives.
Grieve for the warriors returned
in their shattered bodies
cursed with wildly twisting minds
a pulsing nightmare to endure through each breath they must yet draw.
What of the bravery which shatters families
left at home to endure endless not knowing
then the confusions of homecoming
learning to live again with monsters now cursed forever.
We take a few moments to assuage our thin guilt
before returning to the shelter of the pub
wearing tiny red plastic flowers
and bleating out epithets on tooting bugles.
Warship’s horns blast in salute
aircraft thunder zooming overhead
flags dip
there is the timeless drumming rhythm of outward marching boots.
Grieve not, they are dead, they are dead.