My little 'poem' for Nov 11 . . . . .

After a day of visiting cenotaphs, I started to think of a “poem” in my head . . . .

"CLOSE YOUR EYES"

Close your eyes and see yourself climbing aboard the ship that is taking you to war,

to fight for your country and your family and your freedom,

and feel it sway beneath your feet.

Close your eyes and picture a field, a field that is miles wide and miles long,

with your enemy crawling towards you through no man’s land,

his only aim is to take your life.

Close your eyes and imagine the smell of the bombs exploding around you,

the bodies decaying, and the feet rotting in your boots,

and the gunpowder odor that fills the air.

Close your eyes and listen for the bullets whizzing past your head, the bombs and the shrieks

of the men falling around you, and the sobs of those

that just want to go home

Close your eyes and picture a plate of rations that is not enough to feed a boy never mind a man,

a glass of water that is not clean, and pull in an extra notch on your belt

for all the weight you have lost.

Close your eyes and pull the photo of your loved ones out of your damp, wrinkled wallet

so creased and crinkled as you stare at it 100 times a day, never knowing

if you will see them again.

Close your eyes and pray that it will be over, they will surrender, they will realize they are wrong

that the killing and hurting and hating will stop soon,

so you can go home, a man

Now open your eyes and look around you, look at what you have today,

and remember you have this due to those who fought and died for our freedom

Close your eyes and give thanks, and remember.