1914
The faces stare from old photographs;
They look out to the future
While I gaze into the past,
At black and white pictures of women and men
In sunlit streets and broad boulevards
Of lost London; Paris; Berlin.
Between them and me, a century lies.
Between them and me, a century died.
I look at them and I wonder:
What was it like, in those halcyon days,
Before the thunder?
What were they like, unaware of what lay
Just before them?
The elegant ladies, the dignified men,
The emperors and the kings and the queens;
None of them knew what awaited them then
In that summer of nineteen fourteen,
When the twentieth century in earnest began,
When the guns and the shells
Marched through the land.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
