Soldiers Fade Away

We sent them off to war,

these bright young men

We had no knowledge of what they saw,

They were  bright young men  no more .

 

Yes they were brave and they were whole

Those that survived had all lost their soul.

Many died, they were the lucky ones , death to them was kind.

Those who returned were faded in body and mind.

 

Their loved ones at first relieved

Soon found they had much cause to grieve.

Though there in body broken, they were not home in their mind

Whether whole in body or not they had left their minds behind.

 

They went out whole, these bright young things

Taplow Court

They went full of pride for God and Kings

They ran head long into hell

Yet on return they could not relinquish it’s  bad spell.

 

So we had a nation of half men ghosts

Whimpering fearful their heads still have them at their posts.

The trenches and the blasts of bombs, the smell of death

Clung to them and bled them dry, the whole in body, the blind, the amputee it was as if the battle, they never left

 

We sent them off to war,

These bright young men

We had no knowledge of what they saw,

They were bright young men no more.

Thursday photo prompt – Secrets #writephoto . 2

This  part  of  Sue Vincent‘s  Thursday photo prompt -Secrets #writephoto

 Use the image below to create a post on your own blog… poetry, prose, humour… light or dark, whatever you choose, by noon (GMT)  Wednesday 16th November and link back to this post with a pingback. Please make sure that the pingback works and if not, copy and paste your link into the comments section of Sue Vincent’s post.

Don’t forget to use the #writephoto hashtag in your title so your posts can be found.

You can find all last week’s entries in the round-up. Please visit and read the stories and poems and explore the sites of their writers.

Rules  and  pingback  here 

I keep  their  secrets.

 

I was not always as you see me now, decaying  old ready to take a final bow.

I was beautiful tall and strong , a stable bet to set your life upon.

It is cold at night and the wind finds my every crack

I tremble and shudder now as the tubes roll by on the nearby  track.

I brace myself against the traffic’s thunder,

Each day that passes the fact I still stand here  is a wonder.

I keep  their  secrets

I used  to hear  the  children sing

Families living in me weaved their lives.

The chime of doorbells as they’d ring.

As I stood there for them strong in their joys and strife.

I have seen babies born and babies die,

Mothers grieving, husbands turning a blind eye.

Birthdays, marriages, divorces all old hat, kindly couples happy in each others care

Evil bastards who knock their women flat out on the stair,

Or shout them down until they loose all hope

Weighted down with worries and too many children to cope.

I keep their  secrets

The birds are now happy in my rafters

Their cooing fills my rooms instead of laughter ,

It is still a happy sound not unlike the sound

Of children playing here there  and  all around.

I keep  their secrets

At night lovers climb through my open doors

They make love upon my dust floors

For them I am their only meeting place ,

For what ever reason they may have to hide their face.

I keep  their  secrets .

Drinkers also drug addicts too

They hide within my walls to do what they must do.

I am decaying crumbling away

I do not want to go nor yet do I want to stay.

Try me out I could be the best deal for you

If you build me up I shall protect you true.

I could be the canvas to build your life upon.

I could be rebuilt, decorated and glazed I could dance again to children’s song.

I will keep  your  secrets.

Thursday photo prompt – Secrets #writephoto

This  part  of  Sue Vincent‘s  Thursday photo prompt -Secrets #writephoto

 Use the image below to create a post on your own blog… poetry, prose, humour… light or dark, whatever you choose, by noon (GMT)  Wednesday 16th November and link back to this post with a pingback. Please make sure that the pingback works and if not, copy and paste your link into the comments section of Sue Vincent’s post.

Don’t forget to use the #writephoto hashtag in your title so your posts can be found.

You can find all last week’s entries in the round-up. Please visit and read the stories and poems and explore the sites of their writers.

Rules  and  pingback  here 

Secrets. A Nonet.

Fractals of light  pour through  the  window

Motes of  dust  dance across the  floor

Timeless here within the  slow

Span  of  her life  Princess

Familiar kneels

And prays  for less

Pain. She hides

Secrets

Here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday Doors: Across Europe

This is part of Thursday Doors, it originates from Norm2.0.

Where does this door lead future or past. It is  actually  a castle on the Rhine  and  the door  lead  to  a herb  garden  back in  time.

Another  door  at  the  same  castle  this  one shut  and  viewed  from the outside.

Here is  a tiny  door  at  St Micheal’s  Mount  in Normandy.

Also  some  huge  doors  at  the  Cathedral  in Cologne.

A beautiful  door  to a  home in  Tuscany.

Another  to a  cottage in Normandy .

Finally  in  the  same  vein  a door  to  a home  near  by  where I  live in  England . They all are  similar all over Europe.

Rules  and Pingback  here