Remember Them

(an old poem posted on another site and reworked)

scorched black and torched this bloodied, grieving soil

where mangled corpses sprawl in no man's land

felled by the rapid fire from gunner's blitz

brave men advancing blindly to their foe

go onwards past their brothers left in death

who sacrificed their lives who gave their all

all hell on earth as terror grips their minds

this carnage we recall brings home its stain

seared in our hearts such slaughter weeps in pain

so many years ago lest we forget

red bleeds our wounded sky in deep respect

while sinking sun hangs heavy with our shame

Reviews

[duff]

From a veteran I say thank you. My entire family including my mom served in different branches. It's incredibly nerve wracking to have to read the news to find out if your brother is still alive after weeks of hearing zero. You did an amazing job of capturing the emotional sacrifice of our forgotten heroes Chris.

Semper Fi

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you duff. So pleased that sacrifice came through to you in my poem. It bothers me that some do not understand fully how much some have given. We must never forget that. As a veteran you fully understand that. All good wishes.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Loss of lives is always a shame. And war really gets us nowhere, and proves nothing.
Just leaves massive dead, massive injured physically, mentally and emotionally.
But man just seems to be drawn towards the battle...the idea of supremacy...
you create the perfect picture of futility and useless loss of life here.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Jacob. The horror of it all is firmly fixed in my mind.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

Makes me think of "Flanders Fields" and the poppies, this one. WW2 was bigger, with more civilian casualties, but WW1 beats all for pure slaughter of the troops. Few now think back on it, but you are right. We must not forget.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. Today of all days we should pay our respects and remember them.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

You're welcome, Chris. Along these same lines, let me refer a book to you, if you have not already read it. "The Splendid and the Vile," by Erik Larson tells the story of the Battle of Britain in a way I've never seen it told before.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for that link. Most thoughtful of you John. Take care.

[Corset]

So many brave fellas and brave woman too deserve our deep respect, though i would guess maybe only 2 of ten really wanna be out there doing it. When/IF Trump loses office all those vets will lose the paycheck he's been giving over to them. That's gonna hurt some I imagine.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Corset for your thoughts. You know all governments should do the right thing and look after their vets. Shameful not to do so. They put their country first. Their country should do the same for them. All good wishes.

Chris

[Corset]

I completely agree, thank you, best and all good wishes to you too!

[barleygirl]

Your poem blasts thru the usual remembrances & paints the thing most don't mention . . . the utter horror of what happened on any given consecrated ground. I've always had an aversion to the idea of visiting battlegrounds, altho many people do & maybe they envision how bad it must've been. You paint why I hate war & I've mostly been in denial, as if I can just look the other way & not have to see all this that you've splashed with broad painful strokes (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Margie. Yes I tried to get the reader into the thick of it so they could imagine the hell hole it was. Difficult to imagine what must have been in the minds of those having to face such horror. Death would be an easy option. You take care.

Chris

[Jimmy Yetts]

No matter how much we remember, we can never repay them.
Perhaps, living fully and fiercely protecting the freedom they died to secure
is a more meaningful monument.
Stunning poetry, good poetess!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for your encouraging review Jimmy. All good wishes.

Chris

[Tania Mo]

War is a vulture that eats innocent flesh. Peace is the light that revives it.

[Chris Shaw]

Amen to that. Thank you Tania Mo for your thoughts.

Chris

[AJNJ]

The sinking sun must be truly regretful for casting it's light upon a thoughtless humanity. All the good and brave men that died could have lived had it not been for senseless warmongering and hatred. How dispensible does human life get when thousands are killed for nothing but someone's ego? Your words and the profound images here evoke deep emotions ranging from sadness to loss to dispondency and ofcourse disillusionment.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for this thoughtful review. The loss of life in the first two world wars , plus other conflicts has been overwhelming. It is right that each year we should reflect on that loss and sacrifices made by so many. The sad thing is that I don't think we will ever learn. Your visit always welcome on my page AJ.

Chris