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100 Years 1914 - Now, Collection

Picture of the trenches and the after effect during the 1914 -18 war

Why Me

Why did he look at me so
just his eyes and head
laying in the wet snow
a reality of this war?

How did I come to be
here so that I could see
such horror of my friends
their death untimely ends?

Clouds rolled raggedly in
the gas took many away
how could man learn to pray
God was not with us today.

Day on day we stood in slime
Many friends gone yet I am fine
did you make me live to tell
or to put me in memories hell

Now I have been sent home
Faces never leave me alone
I limp my way to rations hell
yet you in trenches dwell

Help me to come to terms
with those I left behind
Let them now find rest
let them know I tried my best

I will make a journey there
to wash the named stones
Row on row the pain grows
just forgive me for being so

Say no more of times gone by
I tried my best for you and I
One day we will meet
Remembering life so sweet

Before we went away.

I lost one Uncle in that war to end wars, he rests in Jerusalem where he fought. They never spoke of the things they did yet they gave their all.
This year as the memories are broadcast I hope we can pen some words for that all they gave us, so that we can type these words.

Ian.T

An additional poem by Scribbler (Stan)
Thank you for allowing it to be on this Blog

HOMECOMING

Submitted by scribbler on Tue, 2014-01-28 02:00

Glory, country so they say
is why we go to war
so I'm here now far away
I don't believe them anymore

Every day just brings more death
and hearing battered by the noise
as cordite burns with every breath
bleeding bodies thrown like toys

Until I feel....nothing
no fear, no love, no hate
no longer human, just a thing
caring nothing for my fate

But late at night when sleep won't come
I count the stars and think of you
then my heart is not so numb
when will this cursed war be through?

When the cannons roar at night
far, far away near out of sight
I think of thunderstorms at home
and forests where I used to roam

But comes the morn and I'm still here
in this land both strange and fell
with one more battle drawing near
yet another glimpse of hell

I join my comrades in a truck
and realize I know no one
the ones I knew ran out of luck
are these men I can depend on?

As we race toward the front lines
instead of war I think of you
and late summer's scent of muscadines
and all the good things I once knew

Explosions bring me back to now
our transport skids to sudden stop
the battle has arrived somehow
I put memories back into my vault

Let's go men! I hear me shout
get out this truck and find some cover
and somehow we all get out
I hug a boulder like a lover

And bullets whine and shell explode
soft flesh and bone are broke and torn
I'm once again in battle mode
Get Down! I hear somebody warn

But the warning comes too late
for anybody still upright
they all fall in their final fate
underneath a sun so bright

It'd damn sure we can't stay here
artillery will find us soon
so I steal myself against my fear
in the heat of middle June

CHARGE! I scream in someone's voice
then rise and run into the hail
my men follow like they have no choice
my chest is thumped then my legs fail

Embarrassed I fall to the ground
and feel my chest fill up with foam
then as my heart ceases to pound
I realize, at last....I'm going home

Seeing Lebanese people sun bathing in Dubai whilst their country was in a state of turmoil:-

Away From Lebanon

Where is your noise,
I feel lost in silence
Through the torn people,
Your people, and my people.
I saw into their eyes
Dawning a peace
That was eternal

Intruding into my peace
In this another land.
I found you here
In this quiet sanctuary.
Away I would scream,
In the sanctuaries of my mind
Away let silence be mine,
I left you behind.

Screaming buildings, screaming
As they are torn apart
Throwing themselves at the ground
Smoking the dust of ages
From which they came.

Where child oh where
Is your mother and father,
That you cry away the hours
Washing the dust of your ages
In Varicosed streaks
Clinging to your face
Within those sunken cheeks?

I miss you, how I miss you my child.
With broken dreams,
Amidst all this destruction.
To live with this silence
I cannot stand

Forgive me, forgive me
If only I feel empty in this land.
In this perfect place
That you suffer to give me

Ian.T

Terror of War

I cried I screamed
I could not think,
or dream of normal things
That you out there,
hold not so dear
Faces crawling with scum,
then holes
Holes in bodies,
it had just begun
A redness flows
through matted hair
It grabs at the dust
that is gathered there
It’s dragging the dust
of my friend this way
A crazy paving
of red streaked clay
My friend, my friend,
you cannot not wait
A flickering smile,
that’s flaunting your state
Your peaceful look
that holds no hate.
You are slipping away
from me
Maybe you know
what lies beyond
For you at the end
of this day
I have only to wait,
sit, and pray
That your smile is no lie
That I could if only I…..

Ian.T

Casualty of War

The warmth my mummy gave me as in her arms I lay
Long summer days when I could walk
With her I loved to play

Today my mummy shivered even in the midday sun
In the distance darling do you hear?
It’s the sound of a soldier’s gun

We must hurry we must hurry and be gone
I will hold you tight as we go along
Into the hills we are going, where we don’t belong

Please feed me mummy as you did before
It’s cold and damp I cannot endure
Mummy oh mummy, I am growing cold

This spark of life is so hard to hold
Goodbye my mummy I grow not old

With thanks to Saddam and all like him.

Ian.T

Comments

I think the message in a very few poems is such that critique would not be right. This is one such. All wars have their own particular horrors. From what I know of this one it was the trenches, the gas and that new scythe called the machine gun. The filth...trench foot......influenza....the stench of the dead....hordes of lice....unimaginable I suspect...................stan

Yes it was a horrible war, where people of all ages gave their all,
I often question why??
Then I look around and know why!!
Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

author comment

Years come and go
like unsung heroes,
for heroes, carpets
for the unsung
sound of the trumpets
disappearing decibels
parting silently with their souls
into eternity

Was it worth
each drop of their blood shed
yes or no
they would never know
it's a shame
even I don't know
if it was, is or will ever be
worth it

Years will come and go
may be
there would be
an year of unsung heroes
may be not
if they don't count a dime
in a world
which is deaf
to the sound of death

raj (sublime_ocean)

Your comment here is exceptional in its words and pictures, this you should use in all of your poetry.
Thank you for your visit, Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

author comment

It just poured out after reading your posts, like Ann has said in her blog "it was there somewhere". Having read your comment, I am tempted to post it as a poem...lol...What do you think about that?

regards,

raj (sublime_ocean)

Probably just a few small changes but I have not had time to read this one properly, and then post it as a complete poem on stream, where all will have a chance to read.
There are many that don't read the comments given out, I think I read around 80% but also comment on 80%, Just stream and see what happens, Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

author comment

Yes of course, i would need to do work on tidying it before posting it in the stream.As I mentioned, in its present form, it was just an outpouring of thoughts after reading your post.

Thanks for supporting my idea of posting it in the stream, for the same reasons you mentioned :not everyone reads all comments".

Regards,

raj (sublime_ocean)

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