In the fields where once the trenches were
White crosses stand in place
Of an inhuman battle fought there
In that frightening open space
For the soldiers that died there
Were just fodder as bullets flew
As their leaders sat in safety
While the corpses grew and grew
Up and over was the call there
As in mouth a whistle blew
Fear of being shot for cowardice
For it happened to quite a few
As the Somme saw souls ascending
From those bodies wrecked and torn
No quarters there was given
No time to weep or mourn
Had their leaders got no conscience
Sending men to suicide
As the blood flowed from those falling
In that open countryside
When the guns at last were silenced
And the battle scene was seen
The earth had lost its colour
A dark red where once was green
To the men that died we remember you
And we honour your lives today
But to those who forced you die there
All shame should come your way
On that battle field where crosses stand
To show that war is wrong
We hoped a lesson could be learned
From the battle of the Somme
By Tony Gorman
It was so sad to see that little child being pulled from the rubble in Aleppo. The poor little lad was so lost with his blood stained face and a stare that seemed to ask “What did I do”
It was heart-breaking seeing him sitting in the ambulance with nobody to cuddle him to reinsure him that he was going to be alright.
How can mankind live with themselves when they cause such atrocities.
My poem reflects how I felt after seeing this poor little child.
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Children of War 18th August 2016 by/Tony Gorman
While adults seek their glories it’s children who suffer the most
They walk their paths of innocents in the wars creating ghosts
For their young lives they are haunted by the images that they see
Of bombing and killing and massacres of families as they flee
The once safe ground where they played on is cratered now by war
And their family home decimated to a shell without a core
And the belongings that once they had are not there anymore
The teddy bear they cuddled is now legless, ripped and tore
And some children they are orphaned with no one to hold them tight
When trembling from the sound of war as they try to sleep at night
Their bodies thin from lack of food and eyes that blankly stare
Mixed up by fear in their tiny minds and lost from all that care
As they follow groups with begging eyes for someone to be there
To treat them like the child they are and give them love and care
For its war that made them homeless and vagrants to be abused
By evil men with weapons, now they’ve nothing else to lose
What is it that makes mankind act in such a horrendous way?
They never think when starting wars that it’s children that they slay
And those that survive are scarred for life by everything they see
They’ve lost their little childhood ways of how it used to be
They sit and hope a day will come when their nightmare disappears
And their life can be like a normal child with no more tears or fears
And their country will be free again and all the wars on earth will cease
And home can be a happy place to live their life in peace
Thanks Tony
And emotional piece to remind us all of why peace is the road to travel