The Unknown Soldier’s Prayer

I could be your husband, father, son.

The lost bones of another pointless war.

A flag to drape across my resting place,

transported from a distant, hostile shore.

I could have been a tinker, tailor, thief ,

lying here for a century and more,

those passing trades mean little to me - now

the angry guns have relinquished their roar.

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The Next War Is Here

Out there, we walked quite friendly up to death,

Sat down and ate beside him, cool and bland,

Asked of his health and shook him by the hand.

Recoiled in horror at his fetid breath.

Before the world went crazy, he was there,

We treated him as though he was a fly

Who we could swat away - and never die.

We were invincible, without a care.

Now ...

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Son Of My Father

What did you do in the war dad?

I fought against Fascists, son.

And were you frightened there dad?

Did you want to turn around and run?

Yes, I was frightened there son

So, don’t believe the lies that are spun

About the death and the glory of war, boy.

There is death, but of glory there’s none.

Thanks for all that you did dad

A...

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In Other News

In other news

The forests burned

Ice caps melted

No one learned

We all stopped listening

To each other

But continued shouting

At one another

Threw our plastics

In the sea

Gorged ourselves

On misery

Refused to let

Our neighbours in

Treated losses

As a win

Praised the rich

And damned the poor

Pissed against

Austerity’s do...

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Old Men’s Tears

With hearts as heavy as thunder clouds

What once were torrents

Are now just trickles

Reflecting our futures

In the silver shimmer of our past

And they come

In stumbling honour

And their humility

Denies them as heroes

For the heroes were left behind

In voices cracked with age

They tell their tales

Of simple duty

In the face of...

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Soldier’s Box

Wooden box

Lock

Key

Brass bullet casing

Spent

Flakes of tobacco

Unsmoked

Grains of sand

Sepia tinted photograph

Pyramids

And pith helmets

Soldiers Service

And Pay book

Will unwritten

Will not needed

Nib encrusted

Fountain pen

Brass button

Coloured ribbon

Yellowed letters

Ink a faded blue

S...

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The Bayonet In The Shed

He put it there in forty nine,

in a woodworm riddled drawer,

wrapped it in a greasy rag.

A remnant from the war.

On top of it he laid his medals,

nothing more was said

until the day my father

took the bayonet from the shed.

We had pestered many times

and he had said ‘perhaps’

when we asked him if he’d killed

any Krauts or any Ja...

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Catechism

I will not be defined by ancient Gods,

or the archaic teachings in their books.

I will tread warily around their words

and avoid the hidden traps and snaring hooks.

I will not stand behind a coloured flag

and spout my blunt imperialistic views

or drape it on a coffin when I die

or burn it on the early evening news.

I will not make a choice that’s...

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An Angel Bathes In Tears

Diniel rested for a second
and turned his eyes away
from those that he was caring for
and in that moment all was lost.
Now he bathes in the cascades
of acidic human tears
that flood the world with grief.
Erosive and corrosive
at the passing of infant souls
in a war that has no meaning
in a world that has no morals.
Now his dainty angel features
disappear unt...

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Grandchildren Of The Somme

the dead lay on the injured earth
all wearing grey death masks of mud
a tally of what life is worth
just bone and sinew flesh and blood

attrition wrought its deadly cost
the river Somme held back its flood
humanity forever lost
just bone and sinew flesh and blood

sixteen miles wide and just six deep
survivors wondered if they could
block out the dreams t...

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Damocles

the striking serpent

in my left

hisses and spits

Assssssad

the rabid wolf

in my right

froths and foams

for freedom

and either of these

sly predators

could have delivered

the fatal bite

that caused parents

and children

to weep blister

burn and die

a black man

with skin of grey

and eyes bloodshot

...

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warRANT

the ack-ack-ack

of sobbing children

a tear

for every bullet

the roll of pressure

heal to toe

erasing limbs

flies swarming on open wounds

picking at the scabs

of wounded families

the searing pain

of widows and orphans

scorched flesh

hurt is local currency

guns from foreign currency

a...

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