Golden bullet

A soldiers account of receiving a 'Golden Bullet' on the front line, in the trenches of WW1.

I lay quietly, softly,

A man amongst the masses;

I breathe deeply, slowly,

Alone and yet surrounded;

I shiver, my breathing laboured,

Each breath a puff of white;

I gaze, my eyes unfocused,

Into the dead of night.

 

While my body succumbs

To the cold and starvation,

My mind succumbs

To fear and desperation.

 

Despite my heart being stilled by fear,

When we’re called I stand erect,

And I listen to the General as he draws near -

His words brittle and direct.

Surprisingly, my un-manned legs are steady

As all the men make ready,

And when the order comes through

I grit my teeth knowing what I’m about to do.

 

With fear expressed as wordless cries

I climb towards the sky,

Ready to make that pointless charge,

To enter Hell without having to die.

But when I reach the precipice of the abyss -

                Of a nightmarish  landscape of earth and man -

I’m struck in the helmet by an Angel’s kiss

That gifts me the bliss of unconsciousness.

 

Amidst the storm of flying metal, earth and body,

I was gifted a golden bullet -

Mere seconds from certain death I received a ticket

For a medical E-Vac; an extension of my life. 

Reviews

[Lydia Shutter]

A heady account of a soldier on the battlefield and what happens after he is shot. Intense....incredible. Well written. Lydi**

[R.M.C]

Thank you for your kind words. I'm so pleased that people are enjoying this poem; your use of the word 'intense' is a very welcomed one as that is exactly what the moments depicted in this piece are. Thanks again.

[Dave]

Very provocative it's so easy to feel your fear. All of that angst and then to receive your "golden bullet".

I can't help but to wonder , how long an extension?

[R.M.C]

Thank you. Glad the fear came across - I think the fear of being in a war is one of the hardest things to truly imagine.
I think that is the ultimate question is it not? Each day, they'd probably wonder how long they had left. I can't imagine what that would be like. Thanks again for reading it and commenting.

[Dave]

It was my pleasure. It was a very good write.

[Terence Sheque]

Wow, loved the poem........it's was like kind of living the moment and all the emotions.......

[R.M.C]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.