Will we ever learn for friend Damian

narrative verse

 

 

 

Will we ever learn?

 

The scarlet flares illuminate

a scene from Dante’s inferno.

In muddy trenches soldiers wait.

They’ve learnt to fear the rosy glow.

 

Behind the lines artillery

sing out their litany of hate

to terrify the enemy

 In this respect they are too late.

 

Exhausted men beyond all fear

 crouch numb and sleepless in the mud

and should a heavy shell fall near

They do not hear but feel the thud.

 

They have no hope all hope has died

These broken men their courage gone.

The veterans on either side.

Each one some loving mothers son.

 

They answered to their country’s call

 each swallowing their country’s lies.

They were prepared to give their all

 the ultimate in sacrifice.

 

Two thousand men died in one day.

A day in June nineteen fourteen.

This was the price they had to pay

. A price which could have been forseen.

 

The General Staff were confident

old fashioned tactics would prevail

and to a man would not relent.

Quite certain that they could not fail.

 

Both sides bogged down ,total stalemate.

The allies claimed the victory.

 Each side has realised but far too late

 that modern warfare could not be

 

conducted in the same old way.

The world was forced to recognise.

Some prices were too high to pay

 and rarely worth the sacrifice

 

of brave young men on either side.

The cream of Europes breeding stock.

 Although we honour those who died.

There are some memories we block.

 

We don’t learn lessons from the past

It seems the human race cannot.

Although the painful memories last

 the lessons they should teach do not.

 

8-Jul-08

 

http:// blog.myspace.com/poetic piers

Reviews

[Lexy]

The ONLY problem I had with that was how you rhymed "sacrifice," but that's a hard word to rhyme, so I'll give you points for that. This, I believe, is a great poem. In school, I learned (more) about the First World War. Honestly, my favorite stanza was the last because I think that one point of war is to learn from your mistakes. Actually, I think the point of ALL history is to learn from our ancestors' mistakes, but we rarely do.

[Constance]

The power of this poem is elegantly displayed, and is lucidly pictured in my mind a moment still, after reading. It left a delicate flavor in my mouth. Quite a feat to do that with such a weighty subject. The truth of the last stanza is pure:
"We don't learn lessons from the past
It seems the human race cannot.
Although the painful memories last
the lessons they should teach do not."
Very well said. I also liked:
"The scarlet flares illuminate
a scene from Dante's inferno.
In muddy trenches soldiers wait.
They've learnt to fear the rosy glow."
You both began and ended on very strong, salient stanzas that my mind will undoubtedly hold onto.
I do notice a few typographical errors, so you may want to go back and edit.
Overall, terrific work, and this one has to go into my favorites, so I can read it to a friend or two later on. Bravo!