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The following poem was written in 2014 for the centenary of the Great War, or the First World War, 1914-1918. With this poem I reached the final of the Worcestershire Poet Laureate Competition 2014. The history books tell the stories of great battles, but few ever remember the individuals who made up the greater tale. So many dead; so many stories lost.
Few Will Remember You
Get your kit together, lad, sign up with this pen.
Kiss goodbye to sweethearts, chum, say you'll meet again.
Get your act together, mate, have courage now and then.
Get your head together, boy, we'll make you all into men.
And it's off to war you go, lads, fresh battles to fight anew.
For when you're dead and gone, son, few will remember you.
You will be fighting hard, lads, but know that's just the start.
Work out your survival plan, and keep your uniform smart!
In the grand scheme of things, you'll play a tiny part.
The world will stop but for a moment, when a bullet strikes your heart.
And it's off to war you go, lads, fresh battles to fight anew.
For when you're dead and gone, son, few will remember you.
Here's the battle plan, lads, take a good look at this graph.
Drawn up by a general, and his clever office staff.
He's got his place in a history book, perhaps a page and a half.
And you? Your name may be engraved on the village cenotaph.
And it's off to war you go, lads, fresh battles to fight anew.
For when you're dead and gone, son, few will remember you.
© Damon Lord, 2014
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