D-Day

The deafening sound of planes overhead,

last moment to shake hands before facing

fears we never imaging could possibly

happen, on these beaches, gateway to England,

how the fire burns to return to my wife.

In the cacophony of gunfire which follows,

we learn more about fears, before they 

suddenly evaporate as the grow so large 

they burst our minds, survival and

killing take precedence above all else.

I saw a friend de-faced in the fray, 

sobbed and charged with double the anger.

I don’t remember much else, recovering

in hospital later, surrounded by strangers,

hoping we’d win in the south of France,

and that we’d never face such horror again.