Truth of WW1

by Hava Omer aged 13

War: the hidden truth
War: enlist or lose your youth
Join the game, the posters say, decorating the poles and the tall glass panes
Attracting the pure souls wanting to do good
But all they got was terror and distress under their hood.
The posters enclosing the brownness of the trees
Balancing on the edge of branches promoting countries.
Pressuring the men to be “manly” and fight
However it wasn’t a choice, nor a discussion
Enrol now and increase the chance of being gifted a concussion.

They were once lively young boys running about,
Their curious eyes full with innocence and colour.
Deciding to hide their report cards from their mother.
Now their eyes are weak with fatigue
Bent double like beggars under sacks
Deliberating when the madness would terminate.
BANG! Another gas attack
BOOM! An air rifle strikes an empty car
This all sounds worse than my wife’s guitar.
Soldiers fleeing left and right, trying to put on a gas mask just in time
Floundering violently is the slowest one,
He couldn’t adjust his clumsy mask which was undone.
Plunging at his friend, he started to drown.
Looking down at him turned my stomach upside down.
All I could think of is seeing my son again
My broken heart turns more dark,
As I am thinking of all the times I told him the story of Noah’s Ark.

War: what an enjoyable experience!
War: weren’t it the propaganda that lead the men down the wrong path?
Suffering from shell shock
The rebounding of trauma in your cerebrum.
Haunting you for life
The penalty of not being able to experience this awesome thing is a knife.
The men if lucky go back home, but for whenever they heard a loud sound all of the wounds they endured became disclosed.
Maybe if the government decided to tell the truth and expose
The men would’ve had a choice, but instead they had to withstand the horrors of the endless prolonging of the game.
As the ignorant, scared liars sat all day, not ashamed of all the men they framed.

8 Responses to “Truth of WW1”

  • Roger Stevens

    Excellent poem. Not sure about the guitar line though. It’s amusing – but does it fit the poem? Good work.

    Reply
  • Hava Omer

    Good evening sir, yes, I ran out of ideas if possible could you give me a different idea?
    Thank you so very much!

    Reply
    • Roger Stevens

      How about…
      BANG! Another gas attack
      BOOM! A missile strikes an empty car
      WHOOSH! A flare burst like a brilliant star

      Reply
      • Hava Omer

        Wow sir, I really LOVE that idea!!
        Is it possible if you could edit it if you have the chance?
        (you are my favourite poet)
        Thank you so very much!!

        Reply
        • Roger Stevens

          It could be a bit shorter. But I think it’s fine as it is. When I send a poem off to be published it will usually be checked or proofed, and for long poems edited. So I’ll happily edit any further poems you send if you’d like. Importantly, before you send a poem off, make sure you keep a copy. Keep up the good work.

          Reply
    • Roger Stevens

      I don’t think so. It’s a serious subject. Poems can be as long as a book sometimes.

      Reply
  • Sadie Cameron

    This is an excellent poem. Really captures the struggle of war. Keep it up!

    Reply
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