From the Trenches

As dawn breaks from the night,
The world becomes visible again;
I see a cloud of mist hovering
Over waters unlike any ocean.
The once endless grasses
Are dead bodies hugging the earth,
Asking for another chance to be birthed.
The once blooming poppies
Blanket the ground in sheets of blood,
Drowning all life and hope into a barbaric flood.

We wait in front of the line
Anticipating the next firing crack.
All quiet, except for the screaming chronicles
Of the men lost in the dead bodies and blood
Screaming for their partners
Screaming for loved ones
Screaming from pain brought by guns
But hoping for a rescue
That will never come.
We sit in silence, knowing
That they’ll scream for hope
With their very last breath.
I never knew hope could kill.

The trenches lie below this hell
Although bravery brought us here,
Fear holds us captive.
Some of us are afraid to look into the front
And to face the reality of war
Lifeless beings, bloodied floods,
And the screaming men.
But we turn our backs
Hoping that somehow
It will all disappear.