SUNDAY BEST or A Soldier’s Coup of Grace
Was always smartest one in his brigade
A pride in his appearance was consistent
Though beach at Dunkirk was no church parade
Standards upheld with doggedness persistent
In desert waste - Tobruk and Alamein
Those baggy shorts and boots held little chic
Where swelter sweat and dust became his bane
Endured fear, blood and missiles’ deafening shriek
Then tide of war reversed, Allies stirred might
Breached Norman coast, and footslogged across France
Reached German border, victory in sight
When single bullet halted his advance
And then at last he'd time to spruce and rest
At peace, and laid out in his Sunday best
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