by Jim Hanafan
The cold is now my enemy
The wind and rain 'tis true
But the weapons in my armoury
Are sparse and feeble too
My blanket and my bedroll
Are wearing painfully thin
My lifetimes of possessions
Are rolled up and within
Walk swiftly by you civvies
With all those unseeing eyes
Ears are also deafened
To my unspoken cries
Spare a pound this Christmas
Spare a thought if not
Because that you have I also had
Until I lost the lot
Trained to kill and decimate
The enemy as decided
By those that sit in judgement
Who often are misguided
Now we sit or we lie down
Where once we marched quite proud
In ranks of three, polished drills
While you all formed a crowd
Circumstance has dictated
The State did take notes
For my sins I suffer
Put that in your quotes
Now 'tis time to leave you
You get on with your lives
My own is nearly over
Only the strong survives
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ABOUT THE POET ~
Ex Soldier living in North Herts, writing poetry for a hobby, working hard for a living, in order to understand the poetry, understand the poet first., The British Army is famous throughout the world for its professionalism when it comes to soldiering. Foremost in the Confines of that wonderful organization is the Infantry, the Soldiers who are more likely that any other to face the Enemy in combat, and be called upon to kill or be killed., Infantry Soldiers are a breed apart from the rest of the Army, from their first day within the organization they are taught that they are the best, that their Regiment is the best, that they now belong to an exclusive club, a veritable Band of Brothers., My own journey into this world was achieved as a result of a stubborn streak, whatever I was told to do I would do the opposite., Although I never shone at school, it did infuse me with a love of the written word, particularly poems by the so called “War Poets” when I realised that these people were telling a story in the best way they could to make themselves & their situation understood., As they say in bad movies ”read 'em & weep”.
Last updated July 02, 2017