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The Last Call

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As the yellow mist

rolls across the fields

of slaughter

The young man thinks

Of  his unborn daughter

How would she have looked?

How would she have grown?

Would her heart have been full

From the love he had shown?

Would her smile have been his?

Would her eyes have been blue?

And shimmer in sunlight

like fresh morning dew?

 

Yet, he knew not her mother

For they had not yet met

But, she would be a corker!

On that you could bet! 

 

He would never find out

Or, his body be found

For  blazing relentless

Came round after round

And  his eyes are now burning

And his open wounds sear 

And the blood flows like water

To be earth's red veneer

 

As his weary head rises

In a scorched, barren land

There kneels a small child

With poppy in hand

Her blue eyes, like starlight

And a smile of his own

And she says, we'll remember

Those lost and unknown

And all those who fought

We'll live in your debt

Age shall not weary you

 

Lest we forget

Remembrancewar

◄ Don't Forget

Why Can't We? ►

Comments

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John Coopey

Mon 22nd Nov 2021 08:09

I think Sebastian Faulks calls it a “mechanised abattoir” in Songbird, Stephen.

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Stephen Atkinson

Sun 21st Nov 2021 23:36

Thank you very much Keith! I think it's probably the era, the trenches, mustard gas, & the general barbaric nature of a war so distant- yet, tragically, so familiar? Maybe!

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keith jeffries

Sun 21st Nov 2021 18:11

Stephen,

I overlooked this absolute gem of a poem. One of your very best. I would enter this in a competition. Superb. John is right, I always see Remembrance poetry on a World War One context. I wonder why.
Thanks
Keith

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Stephen Atkinson

Sun 14th Nov 2021 22:13

Thanks for the comments Julie & Stephen! ?
And John, excluding 'don't forget' I've wrote 3 remembrance poems, & it's 2-1 in favour of WWI, so you may be right! A search for remembrance does bring a lot of WWI memorabilia

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John Coopey

Sun 14th Nov 2021 19:26

Beautiful indeed, Stephen. Is it just me or do others subconsciously set Remembrance in a WW1 context?

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Stephen Gospage

Sun 14th Nov 2021 13:19

This is a beautiful poem, Stephen. Thank you.

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julie callaghan

Sun 14th Nov 2021 10:33

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