NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

 

This man won medals for bravery

Served in a world war

Mourned for his dead comrades but never

Complained about it

Came home, collected his demob suit

Walked away whistling

Determined to make the best of it

 

This other man lost a limb, didn’t care

That you would notice

Completed his education then

Went on to hack it

Never asked for sympathy or help

Didn’t get any

Didn’t expect to, bore no grudges

 

And this man succeeded in business

Raised a family

Never dwelling on what happened

Then in the home

He sat waiting for his turn to come

Wondering only why

He had been chosen to live so long.

First published on line by 'Poetry 24'