This is a poem is a tribute to the men who fought and died

in WW1 and war in general.

To the ordinary men for their bravery and sacrifice.

Just Another Pawn

A blackbird’s song  A plaintiff cry

The Angels weep in a blood red sky

A moment of beauty in this wretched place

A lonely lament for the human race

The Angel of Death visits this day

And many a soul will be carried away

Death stalks like a ravenous beast

And on the dead and the dying feast

Jagged trenches like scars in the land

Barbed wired fences bite foot and hand

Flesh ripped and torn by shrapnel and shell

This place of horror, a living hell

Bullet and bayonet, cold hard steel

Rotting corpses and rutted wheel

Bones shattered and minds broken

What horrors and demons have they awoken?

Horror walks this bloody Battlefield  

For so many, their fate has been sealed

A young boy, face down in the mud

Life ebbing away in rivers of blood

An unknown soldier, just another pawn

Some mother’s child ,who will never see the dawn

Lost among the screams of terror and agony

Lambs to the slaughter for king and country

Well behind the battle lines

Swilling Brandy and the finest wines

Pompous generals play the game

Their blunders, acceptable losses, all in the name

Behind the smiles they can not hide

The Pawns they’ve sacrificed on the fires of pride

As they raise their glasses and sing

For God, for country and for king.

A blackbird’s song, a lonely lament

In a field of crosses,headstones and cement

Just sit for a moment and take your ease

A carpet of poppies sway in the breeze

Each one a memory of a hero who fell

Lest we forget, this place was once hell

For the fallen,the brave, the boys and men

May their sacrifice never be forgotten.

C Denis Murphy 19 October 2017