For King and country

For King and country

A Poem by Gee
"

The glory of war !!!

"
On the first night he prayed to his God,
cried for his mother,
counted stars in the late December sky
as a hoarfrost coated him white.
Dawn brought fresh hope of discovery,
voices carried on still air lifting his spirits
but nobody came.
As day light faded into another dusk, then night,
he spoke with his dead father,
kissed his wife and children goodbye,
sat as a small boy on his mother's lap, loved, safe,
as she stroked his hair, humming him into eternal sleep.

They found him 2 days later in the crater of a shell,
eyes wide open, frozen.


© 2021 Gee


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Reviews

Oh wow! Such a memorizing image you have set here, so deep and makes one think. Awesome write

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Thank you kindly ma'am :))
This reminded me of the war poets/poetry that emerged as a result of WWI.

It is difficult to write about things like this because it is very easy to make it either too sentimental or too vitriolic. I thought your poem was excellent because it had a nice subtlety, and in its descriptive imagery almost lulled me into thinking it was some pastoral scene. It felt very balanced and that balance made the story that much more poignant. Like the soldier was telling it himself.

Lovely work.

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Thank you kindly Eilis
Wow! Powerful imagery generated by the emotive language of the desperation of the want to be discovered then juxtaposed against the images of loved ones and their unconditional love as the central figure in the poem passes into their arms, then juxtaposed once again with the starkness of lonely, icy death cradled in a shell crater, nicely effective.

All the best,

Lanny

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Cheers Lanny, appreciate the review
Lanny

5 Years Ago

Glad to do it.
Lately I've been feeling sick about all the f*****g wars that go on & on . . . wars our gov't doesn't bother to tell us we're involved with until some humanitarian crisis develops like in Yemen or Syria, not to mention the daily mass shootings right here at home. Your highly caustic poem really delivers the kind of fist-punch I wish I could put into words to relieve the stress of so many tragedies. Your poem sounds about as jaded as I feel on this topic, which is why I can't bring myself to write about it. I'm proud of you for keeping this in our faces. You always pick a very original way to make everyday observations (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

I've never seen so many Mexican bricklayers work so fast or for such long hours just to keep 1 man f.. read more
barleygirl

5 Years Ago

Thank you for secretly reminding me not to lose my sense of humor! *smile*
Gee

5 Years Ago

Lol, you getting down about it will change nowt, put a smile on your chops, sharpen your pencil and.. read more
I'm sure versions of this have been enacted on battlefields since time immemorial! Nicely done: poignant, touching and very emotive. Wouldn't it be nice if nobody had to die this way ever again?

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

It would indeed but sadly that ain't ever gonna happen :((
Thank you for taking the time to r.. read more
The Iron Horseman

5 Years Ago

You are very welcome. And you are also right!
The glory of war. What an epitaph.
The kill takes minutes. The waiting takes days, weeks. To much time for thinking.
Probably why military personnel have so many problems.
All heroes.

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Seriously underpaid heroes.
Thanks Paul
Paul Bell

5 Years Ago

Definitely.
Wow.... This is kinda disturbing! I love that; it's so sad. Idk what happened to them, but it was terrible. It paints this picture for me of murder or disease... Hmm... Oh wait; I read your description. War. Sounds about right... Sigh. To be honest, I clicked on the title because it's the name of one of my fav bands and wasn't expecting this. It caught me off gaurd but it definitly impacted me. That's good. Nice job

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Thank you for reading and commenting Sarah.
Generations have died in wars throughout history in the worst ways. Hope is a throw of the dice. The devil has been just as present as any God or spirit. Life seems to hold no favorites.

This is an emotional poem from you, Gee. Nice writing.

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Cheers Relic, appreciate the visit
Very powerful indeed, well done.

Posted 5 Years Ago


Gee

5 Years Ago

Thank you..

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1460 Views
28 Reviews
Rating
Shelved in 3 Libraries
Added on November 10, 2018
Last Updated on November 5, 2021
Tags: Mother, father, death, war

Author

Gee
Gee

Milton keynes, United Kingdom



About
Devoted family man and lover of life. Simply written, easily understood "stuff" for those without code breaking skills. You will NEVER need Google to understand me:) more..

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