Max Burchett Poet Lyric

Notes About The Poem

Unknown Soldiers

"Unknown Soldiers" is a poem by Max Burchett that reflects on the collective sacrifice and memory of countless unnamed soldiers who gave their lives in wars throughout history. The poem is inspired by a Memorial Day experience that prompts the speaker to contemplate the countless tombs honoring those whose names remain unknown. The poem delves into the profound and often overlooked impact of war on those who are not distinguished by names, but rather remembered as "unnamed ghosts."

Unknown Soldiers by Max Burchett

by Maxwell "Max" Sebastian Burchett

One Memorial Day made me consider
The many tombs to unknown soldiers,
In memoriam to the lost 
From wars then and now,
Unnamed ghosts.

Is memory of all without any names,
The memory of none?
Surely the names were known to some,
All missed and mourned by a loved one.
All had mothers with pain and grief unknown.

Those who fought for some cause,
Maybe not theirs,
Still paid the price with their lives,
In near and distant wars,
Extinguished in fire.

I know enough of hate,
Of powers’ desire,
To know wars will consume
Without any end
More names for the unknown tomb.

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Max Burchett August 24, 2023 at 5:41 AM Many thanks for your kind comments and likes! Greatly appreciated! Max

Martin Braun August 22, 2023 at 3:55 PM Well written, and the fathers of the lost are too, not forgotten. Millions died on the Russian front. More die as casualties than those who serve... and their names and faces are now lost, by those who saw them last, stacked like cords of wood, or off to the camps to be gassed. That is my history. Religious wars... no. Godlessness... is what creates wars, and Hitler, Stalin, and Mao remind us of what's at stake. A country without reverence to God is doomed to relive the same fate. Max Burchett August 28, 2023 at 8:39 PM Hi Martin, thanks for your comments. Well said! Kudos to you, Max