Tyne Cot - the poem.

You graves that line this placid place Engulfed by trees and green, Remind me of a time that in reality I have never seen. But studied once with great intense
When I was just a lad.
I now I stand
Grave on grave.
The air is thick and sad.
An overwhelming sense of grief For the boys who fought in the war.
Not pride for my country Or ‘Good work chaps!’
Just questions..
‘Why?’
‘What for?’
You boys, perhaps once crushed by tank, Left gurgling in the mud. Left drowning in your frothy phlegm and choking on your blood. Now rest in peace, Still in the earth, Though this time placed and dressed.
And here I stand above the sand, alive
And I feel blessed.

—End—

Author Biog:

My girlfriend works in Beauty public relations. One of the company’s clients is a magazine that was holding a photography competition (nothing to do with Beauty PR actually) and she was encouraging me to enter. I was sifting through some of my old pictures when I found some of a famous Second World War memorial Site in Belgium called Tyne Cot. The pictures I found reminded me of the poem I wrote about my experience when visiting the site. The poem you have just read is that same poem.

It’s funny because when I was at school we studied war poetry in English class and had to have a go at writing a poem like that of Seigfried Sasoon and Wilfred Owen.
If you’ve never read their work and are into poetry I’d strongly suggest that you check them out. There’s not a lot of written information that captures the harrowing experience of the soldiers in the World wars in quite the same way that Owen and Sasoon manage to evoke. It’s not work you want to ponder on too much obviously, but I think it’s important that we understand what the generations before us went through, if nothing else than to just appreciate our life style these days.
My poem does match the work of these two great poets but ironically i think it’s better than anything I came up with at school! Funny how writing flows sometimes when you’re not under pressure!