Wednesday, 8 March 2017

'THE BEAT': A NEW WORLD WAR ONE POEM...

The Beat



The beat on the earth
Has ceased
Its heavy bombardment
From a gruesome artillery;
It has rendered the land silent,
Its debris littered, its fragments scattered
Upon a desolate landscape
Pitiful;
And in a soulful, wretched black and white
The blasted dugouts lie impotent… 

The beat on the drum
Has ceased
Its thumping accompaniment 
To the tiresome artillery;
The percussion now lies dormant,
Its troop ravaged, its corps savaged
Upon an arid landscape
Frightful;
And in a pitiful, parched killing site
The soiled skins lie poignant… 

The beat of their hearts
Has ceased
Its rapid regiment
At the awesome artillery;
The discarded bodies lie insolent,
Their expressions baleful, their torment fateful
Upon a scarred landscape
Dreadful;
And in a doleful, sparse sacrificial image
The cruel detritus lies stagnant…

Pete Ray 
March 2017

A picture of German casualties in the 1915 Battle of the Marne at Suippes, 25th September…

Affected me.  



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