Thank You For Your Services

These are poems created by our community.
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Tom Balch
Posts: 289
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2014 7:30 pm
Topics: 74
Location: Spain

Thank You For Your Services

Postby Tom Balch » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:12 pm

When I was young and in my prime
a lad of seventeen
they sent me off to foreign climes
to serve my country and my King.

A fresh faced kid without a clue
naive to say the least,
lined up with comrades brave and true
to be the cannons feast.

They told us keep yer rifles clean
and keep yer powder dry
and when we charge don´t be afraid
just look em in the eye.

I can still recall that mournful sound
of the whistle blown at dawn,
it was up and over and into hell,
that´s where we went that morn.

All around us bodies fell
as we pushed on through the smoke,
bullet and shell were rained on us
and the stench of cordite made us choke.

A grenade explodes can´t hear a thing
body burning, shrapnel stings,
fell face down in the mud and gore
not wanting to die in this futile war.

So I´m on my feet and charging blind
to the sound of machine gun fire,
body disjointed from the mind
damn the sound of machine gun fire.

Another shell, this time it´s gas
and another fifty fall,
so far away from the marching bands
where we answered to the call.

Coughing and spewing from the cloud
that´s burning my insides,
lying in mud that is stained with blood
and there is no place to hide.

The screams and pleas from fallen men
being riddled with enemy fire,
slowly fade and drift away
from this field, this burning pyre.

I see the flash from the enemy’s gun
and I know it must be stopped,
I throw a grenade as I scale the mound
and in their trench I watched it drop.

The explosion loud lit up the sky
and showered all with dirt and stone,
the firing ceased the smoke it cleared
and I found myself alone.

This haunting place, this field of death,
this place that no young man should be,
amongst the bodies of his friends
this sight will always stay with me.

How I survived I´ll never know
but I do know this for sure,
the way to peace I'm telling you
is not through some bloody war.

Now in my armchair next the fire
with haunting memories by the score
and a (thank you for your services)
worthless medal in the drawer.
Last edited by Tom Balch on Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Stella
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Location: West Yorkshire, England

Re: Thank You For Your Services

Postby Stella » Wed Sep 16, 2015 3:52 pm

Hi Tom and is good to see you back posting again....

I am really proud and pleased that you have chosen to post this poem on my site, it is a reminder, and the world should have constant reminders that war is futile, government after government feed the youth of today as well as yesterday that they are serving their country or their religion in many cases when we know that really these men are just pawns in a bigger game.If i could sticky poems on my site , this would be saved as constant reminder that war does not bring lasting peace or domination.

Sit well by your fire my friend, thank God you can ..

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drllrd74
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 3:35 am
Topics: 78

Re: Thank You For Your Services

Postby drllrd74 » Wed Sep 16, 2015 8:25 pm

Reminiscent of Kipling's war poems. A horror of war expressed in fine poetry.

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Seema Chowdhury
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Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:49 pm
Topics: 217

Re: Thank You For Your Services

Postby Seema Chowdhury » Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:16 pm

An engaging and a descriptive write.

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Cindy
Posts: 689
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2014 5:45 pm
Topics: 75

Re: Thank You For Your Services

Postby Cindy » Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:17 am

Great poem. Somewhat sad. I can understand how such medals wouldn't mean much.

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Joseph Anderson
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Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2014 11:28 pm
Topics: 31
Location: Kentucky-United States-America

Re: Thank You For Your Services

Postby Joseph Anderson » Thu Sep 24, 2015 3:48 pm

As a vet of WW2 I remember,do remember.A tragic, grim reminder of wars horrow..You captured it ever so well.A worthwhile write


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