Cowardly or Courageous ?

By forest_for_ever

Mon, 14 Aug 2023
  • 443 reads
2 comments
 

Cowardly or Courageous?

Is fear the victor

Or does survival win the day?

Trembling in a six-foot trench

Upon the whistle life will stop

Hell’s pandemonium lights the sky

The Sapper pleads to God

“Please don’t let me die!

 

So does he cow in fear?

Is it such a dastardly crime

To cling to life so dear?

The crackling rattle of death

A hellish thunder calls

Yet this trembling wreck

Froze with fear

 

Up the ladder of doom

Over the top pour the cannon fodder

His Pals are led to slaughter

The reaper feasts upon the hoard

“Enough!” cried this solitary man

Sobbing, led away to die

The scythe will get him anyway

 

Shocked by supposed cowardice

Angered by his courage

The panel throw their dice

Dodging the deadly spray

Court Martialled, the cowards all agree

This lily-livered soul must die anyway

Leather-faced Generals nod

A simple soul must be sent to lie

Sent by his own

In a coward’s grave to lie

Certificate PG
Poem
The reflections on life by a middle-aged man
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

You describe the situation well. With hindsight, I think the situation was changed in WW2? But I expect it would still be the situation in many armies of the world, and the sending of men into situations of unnecessary total carnage. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by forest_for_ever on

Yes, I did think about hndsight when I was writing it, but hindsight is part of learning and forgiveness. The debate over those times will never be closed, nor should it.  In one way or another I want to remember them.  Thanks for your feedback.

Graham