THE FRONT - THE RED MIST (a World War 1 story-poem)
The front now more like homeIn civvy street - your a stranger
Now
Those who said they know you
Don't
The Front change you
Only The Front knows you - now
The Front - is now home -
The Front knows now who and what
You are - what you became
Only the front knows just what a ''red mist is ''
That the ''red mist ''
That it's your mate standing on a mine - hearing a click
He'd stood on a I E D - an artillery shell - wired up!
Nothing you or the squad can do - just to your self
'' thank fook - that's not me! ''
Your mate knows the score - you all do! The fook!
He tells you all : '' Get the fook away - why don't you! ''
''Thea's fook all any of you can do for me now ''
All the squad freezes with fear - a silence - a deadly silence
No sounds
The squad commander - you - snaps out first
Orders all the squad - to move away - when all - bar one
Are safely away - he orders the squad to hit the ground
The silence is broken - by the exploding I E D
You were taking a last look at your pal - looked in to his eyes
He smiles - his hand raced - last farewell
He steps off the L E D - where he had been - was - a red mist - now
The radio operator - lets the base know
Squad orderd - to end the operation - Medevac - arrives
Crew asks: '' Right wheres - the casualty , lads? ''
The squad - look towards a crater - still smoking - '' Thear! ''
The Medevac - say nothing - they know the score - used to it!
Back at the base - their dead matel - gear is auctioned off - as is the custom
His almost used up toothpaste - realizes twenty quid - the cash raised -
Sent back to the poor bastards family
A coffin arivers with a strict note: '' NOT TO BE VIEWED!
IF coffin was opened - just rocks - sand - bricker brat - to give the coffin - wait
Cant put the Red Mist in a coffin
Unless the squaddies uniforms in - as all the squads uniforms - were covered in
Your- mates - blood , brains and gore - that once been - him
The coffin sets off - line of people each side of the rout - in silence - stand
IF only they know!
You had seen what became of those who had served - left The Front
To be in civvy street - turned to drink - drugs - in an a tempt to forget
Some had cracked up - gone mental - minds shot away - some - not a few
Living on the streets - as like Orwell's book Down And Out In London And Paris
In prison - or in asylums
Na , home was now The Front - they know you there!
ken d williams
The Dyslexic Wordsmith
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 564 times
Written on 2015-11-10 at 20:39
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