Quiet now
Night wind gentle on the killing grounds
Silent now
The guns have lost their appetite
~
Leftover life lingers in the yellowed earth
Pinned to a wire nest
The half-faced man embraces death as a lover
And the rats go about their business
~
Old men refill their glasses
Bend over their maps
Push the little flags forward
For tomorrow.
~
The woman looks down at the child
Places the unopened telegram
Behind the mantle clock
So Harry can live for one more day
~
A general screams “Send me more men”
And no one asked
‘What did you do with the last half million?
So the cross carvers are on overtime
And Little Mary will have her new dress.
*
*

World War 1.
No war can excuse this tidal wave of slaughter.
Those who survived are quiet now. We are left with faded photos
Of young men with old eyes and the poppy fields
*
*

Cari