Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

 

Trench warfare.

Blue moon

In fetid puddle.

Red poppy

In no mans’ land

 

Trench warfare.

Springs and summers

Endless.

Lovely bride

Where are you?

 

Trench warfare.

Stars above

Barbed wire.

I’ll be home

By Christmas

 

Trench warfare

Snow in hair.

Sunrise

Naked bodies.

Decomposing

 

Trench warfare.

Incoming shells.

Shrapnel, smells

Drifting sulphur

Dust in hair

 

Trench warfare.

Rat nibbles

Under Orion.

Dead toes!

Autumn leaves.

 

Trench warfare.

Bell from collapsed chapel

Cannot toll over

Flanders’ moonscape

At Christmas

 

Over the top!

Cloud covered moon.

Bayonets lowered

Charge to the pipes

Gone too soon!

 

Sunrise  and summer solstice

Dew droplets.

Over the top!

Cloud covered moon.

Gone to their doom.

 

Desolate landscape

Angles and tunnels.

Not Stonehenge

Trenches in Europe

A Diachronic of war

 

Roar of biplane

Over trenches.

Fly boys wink wings

On the western front.

Christmas card.

 

Clear frost

On barrel sites.

Lee Enfield.

No Christmas pudding,

Smell of gangrene

 

Bridges

Over trench mud.

Duck boards

Mud parapets

And sand bags.

 

‘Stand to’

At dawn

Guns readied,

Snipers and sentries

On the fire step

 

Trench rats

Eat brother’s body.

No morgue,

Fungal infections.

Amputations.

 

Melted snow

From shell holes.

Dysentery

Glazed eyes

Shell shock

 

They perished

In all seasons

From diarrhea, fever

Bombs, shrapnel.

Broken hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the author : Wally du Temple

Books written by Wally du Temple are sold by friesenpress.com where author information is available in English.