Names Change

Sam had joined up one morning
Though his name would not remain Sam
His sergeant would call him many things
but it changed once the fighting began

A few would call him a hero
But two would call him their son
No-one would ever call him daddy
Not once the fighting’s begun

An easier life than back home, he’d read
Within weeks he’d be marching through France
A boy with a gun is a man they’d said
just point it and shoot to advance

The enemy eat babies they’d told him
He believed them and why should he not?
He was perfectly willing to take the kings shilling
But soon he would wish he had not.

The fields of France were no picnic
What with the bullets and all
But the enemy ate babies they’d told him
And he believed, as he watched his friends fall

The trenches were cold wet and miserable
The bullets flew thick night and day
The shelling was constant and terrible
And peace was a long dream away

It would all be over by Christmas
That’s what they told them back home
but home was not here and they could not hear
the screams and the bombs and the fear

As parts of his friends fell about him
The screaming of all filled his ears
Sam prayed to his God to spare him
Or at least make it all dissapear

A dignified death was denied him
But death indeed he did gain
And Sam was just one amongst many
To die in the mud with his name

John Doe he is now amongst thousands
And thousands of comrade in arms
Row upon row upon row upon row
Upon row upon row of Johns Doe.

OMG, this is so good! This brought tears...it honestly did. You should submit this somewhere. Yes, I do mean that! I've been watching a series on the History Channel about WWII and in one episode about the invasion of Normandy, the narrator reads a poem titled "Carentan, Oh Carentan" written by one of the soldiers about the battle there and your poem reminded me of that one. And yours is even better, poetry-wise. And yours is powerful. That last verse-wow.

Good, good, very, very good. What made you write about this topic?

I'm blown away by this poem, Admin. It is so, so true.
A lot of writers on WW1 seem to gloss over the real horrors - it's easy for movie scriptwriters to depict a dying soldier either collapsing on the ground, or lying with his head in a buiddy's arms, saying: "Look after Lily and the kids..." and dies, cleanly and with dignity.
Nowhere do get a picture of a group of men doing something and then being blown to smithereens their bodies fuzed together like bacon pieces in a frying pan.

Then there are the psychologically wounded soldiers who live and relive the traumas. The folks at home who only know their man is missing presumed killed, lying in the fields with no marker or a place in a vet's cemetery.
Peace in our time is a pipedream - when will we ever learn. The vets of WW1 are all rest now - may they enjoy their time in "Valhalla"

This Thurday is Nov 11 - Remembrance Day/Armistice Day/Veterans' Day.

Veterans day was looming and I had joined a forum with a veterans thread.
They held a friendly poetry competition that was open to everyone and this was my submission.

I think this is my most moving piece of writing to date and I am quite proud of it.

I must admit I had a lump in my throat by the time i had it finished.

One day i intend to attempt setting it to music.

Good work, Rob!

LOOOOVVE ITT!!

I hope you won the competition!! You should have.

I think this would be pretty cool set to music. When can we expect the CD to be out? lol