Poems by Carolanne Murphy
For King and Country
Young boys we were then
As we marched away
Excited, feeling like men
We were not afraid
England was great
And fight for it we would
All too soon fantasy became reality
The noise was the worst
The smell too
Hunger made our bellies growl
Friends went over the top
They didn’t get far
We had no time then
To mourn them
Praying it would be over soon
How long could it last?
At times we would sing
Write letters home
Never telling how it was
Cheerful lies
Pictures of loved ones
Kept us sane
Choking on gun smoke
The boy in us gone
So many lives
So many friends
Those of us who had never prayed
Well, we prayed then
Silently to ourselves
Comforting the wounded
Futile words of hope
Some of us made it home
We lost our friends
We lost our youth
For King and Country .