Letter to the editor – Remembrance Day Poem

We need to be remembered, But not as dismembered, Corpses lying on the ground, But as those who died all around. Every sound around me is distinct, Every action is ran by instinct. This is life or death, Not just fighting for you but for every breath. Each step is blood stained, Uniforms no longer clean, maintained. The explosions feel like loud heartbeats, Reminding us that our heart, beats. We cannot go down in defeat, We cannot allow history to repeat. The world shall know the gore of it all, The world shall know the rise and the fall. Trenches filled with bodies, War has become our hobbies. Every knife in the chest is another death, Every knife in the chest is one last breath. To all my men this is not a test, This is all we have left. We desire to go home, But this is all we know, So this has become our home. Bullets pierce my men in slow motion, My brain cannot fathom the commotion, There is no time for emotion. We are not heartless or cruel, We are the men trained to dual. The immense suffering is gruelling, But the sheer intensity is fuelling. We need not be remembered as slaves, Who had needlessly dug our own graves. We must be remembered as we are, brave, Who risked our lives for yours to be saved. We need to be remembered, Do not let us fade, We need to be remembered, We need to be remembered.

Michael Doherty

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