Grandchildren Of The Somme

by Ian Whiteley

Thursday 2nd October 2014 1:42 pm (first posted Saturday 19th April 2014 3:38 pm)

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 that came in sleep
just bone and sinew flesh and blood

under blue skies and green fields bright
grandchildren gather where they stood
and count the rows of crosses white
just bone and sinew flesh and blood

kyrielle form memorial the somme war war poetry WW1 SITWB

◄ The Walkin' Man (Audio Version)

remembering the terrible lizard ►

Comments

Tomás Ó Cárthaigh

Tue 29th Apr 2014 00:49

Love the rhyme and structure. In the spirit of the war poets. We learned their message, but the wars go on...

M.C. Newberry

Mon 21st Apr 2014 16:05

Carefully constructed, with a memorable repeat
last line in each stanza. A proper way to recall
that terrible war and its aftermath.
A maternal uncle lies in that foreign earth,
killed in action with The Rifle Brigade in 1916.

Jeff Dawson

Mon 21st Apr 2014 07:18

very poignant Ian, great stuff at Sale WOL, really enjoyed it :-)

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