The Soldier

The Soldier

The soldier sits mournful in his fortress, this trench.
With the cloyed sodden soil and the nicotine stench.
Rolls a woodbine. It’s damp, and with trembling hands,
stares aimless at the puddles in this ‘devils dark land’.
Then he looks at his photo, and his mind starts to roam.
Longing for those good times with his family back home.
Dreaming of his sweetheart. Oh! How he loved his dear Jane.
Wondering! Will he see her and kiss her sweet lips again?
His rifle stands propped against the revetted walls.
The silence is gnawing as they wait for the call.
The whistle shrills with menace. “Over the top” comes the cry.
“Please God keep me safe today. I don’t want to die!”
Like a swarm, they emerge from their bunkers of hell.
Avoiding the carnage of another spent shell.
Zig- Zagging the search lights as the bullets zip by
and the explosions and gases float up to the sky.
Another blast echoes from just a few yards away.
Running the gauntlet as the mortar blasts away.
Each soldier is anxious but steadfast and brave.
Each crater a sand pit. Another random grave.
Torsos lie scattered, all bloodied and decayed.
Fleshless and rotten and randomly displayed.
Corpses piled high like sandbags in the mud,
and another soldier drops with a sickening thud.
The young soldier stands - reaches out to his friend.
To offer him some comfort, as he nears the end.
His life was cut short in the blink of an eye
and with his eyes full of tears, he looks up to the sky.
He prays to his lord that he suffered no pain.
Drops to his knees and cries once again.
The ‘Tommy’, barely moving has accepted his death
and his pal hugs him fondly as he takes his last breath.
His mate wipes some flesh from his battle scarred face.
Just another young victim in this desperate dark place.
These green fields of Flanders, now muddied and red.
A dystopian landscape, awash with the dead.
The silence is broken with the crying and pain
and pleading lost voices, shout out through the rain.
This battle so futile. No winners here today.
Soldiers on both sides with their lives flushed away.
Their families will grieve and mourn for the lost.
To them they were heroes. But let’s remember the cost.
Another battle over. Just another dark day.
For those who have perished. For you we will pray!








Copyright Lawrence Shave Jan2026