Long World war i Poems
Long World war i Poems. Below are the most popular long World war i by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long World war i poems by poem length and keyword.
As we linger in the darkened depths of time's unrelenting motion,
It's a moment to honor those who embarked on this journey.
On battles fought on foreign shores,
Their courage and sacrifice forever bore.
Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion,
To honor the fallen with deep admiration.
Their names etched in granite and stone,
Their spirits in the wind forever known.
From the trenches of World War I,
To the beaches of Normandy under the sun,
Our brave soldiers fought with pride,
Their sacrifices were never denied.
The tears of mothers, the cries of wives,
Echo through the years, their hearts deprived.
Of loved ones lost to the ravages of war,
Their memories shine like a distant star.
In the jungles of Vietnam, the deserts of Iraq,
Our soldiers bravely faced the enemy's attack.
Their blood, sweat, and tears staining the earth,
Their valor and bravery proves their worth.
So on this day of remembrance and reflection,
Let us honor with gratitude and affection,
The men and women who gave their all,
So we may live free, standing tall.
Remember the fallen, the brave and true,
Their sacrifice, a debt we cannot undo.
For in their memory, we find strength,
To carry on with pride, at any length.
So let us never forget the price they paid,
In all the wars, in all the battles laid.
For their sacrifice was not in vain,
Their memory forever shall reign.
One of our local heroes:
his record of try’s in a season
has still not been beaten.
Jack Harrison VC, MC
A Temporary Gentleman
Not really the right sort
Just a common school master
Who played professional sport,
But he was a volunteer
Not a Conscripted man
Volunteering for service
Soon after war began.
A Temporary Gentleman
Who came to the good
Charged a machine gun
And died at Oppy Wood.
Charged a machine gun
Tying down his men
They never found his body
He was never seen again.
Over there at Oppy Wood
His final try was laid
Revolver in hand
Carrying live grenade.
No body to be buried,
No remains to be found,
He just became as one with
That blood soaked ground,
.
A person of courage
A man of gallantry
Posthumously awarded
His well deserved V.C.
A Temporary Gentleman
But in truth I must confess
Not really the type to join
Any Regular Officers’ Mess.
Lili Marlene
In times of war, love can subdue cynical
(Men separated from their vocation, now filled with hatred),
And quell the beast inside their misdirected hearts,
And free their consciences to allow sorrow’s comfort.
A noisy silence pervades the barracks’ atmosphere,
Where soldiers stir, stuffing duffel bags with miscellaneous items,
While others reminisce, writing letters; maybe their last,
And await deployment orders for the Western and Eastern Fronts or Africa.
Belgrade, a woman’s voice over the airwaves is transmitted,
Allowing for a moment of silence and reflection for those listening
Alone; spiritually uplifted by memories of better times,
They seek a reason to justify this madness of sacrifice.
“My Dearest Marlene,” the pen begins when all hell breaks loose.
By bombs flashing bright, bloody hands write, then the pen stops:
“Until we meet again underneath the corner light,
Like we used to do, my Lili Marlene.”
***
Note:
"Lili Marlene" is a German love poem set to music by Norbert Schultze (1911–2002) in 1938, based on the poem “The Song of a Young Soldier on Watch,” written by Hans Leip (1893–1963) in 1915 during World War I. The song was first recorded by Lala Andersen (1905–1972) in 1939 under the title “The Girl Under the Lamps,” which became popular during World War II (1939–1945) among both the Axis and Allied troops. The song was first broadcast by the German Radio Belgrade station throughout Europe and North Africa, following the Nazi occupation of Belgrade in 1941.
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992) was the daughter of a Prussian officer. She refused to work in Nazi Germany and was branded a traitor by Nazi supporters when she became an American citizen in 1937. She gave over 500 performances entertaining Allied troops from 1943 to 1946. Marlene Dietrich recorded the song entitled “Lili Marlene” in 1944 for Decca Records (US) and Brunswick Records (UK), which was released in 1945.
Disposable.
Just like the bodies scattered
As unimportant as the soldiers blood splattered
A black man stands watching violence unfold
Not to the enemy
But those who fought close
Those your supposed to trust
Comrades
Yet somehow
The black man
Is on the receiving side of the bullets
Not by the opposition
But by those claiming to be on the same team
With words that sting
He fought for his country
And as a reward
He is erased by history
He became an unknown soldier
Whitewashed because of colour
Seen as another sacrifice 'for the greater good'
Yet deprived of herohood
A man who once had a name
Now demoted to a nameless face
The question is will we ever know
The story of this unsung hero
Will his name forever be buried in the trenches of history
Hidden beneath the blood Soaked sludge
Drowned out by the white man's scream
Forever silenced by the songs of white history
Now an invisible grave of black memory
Under appreciated by a system so weak
It used black strength as a weapon and shield
Sarah and John, awaiting their firstborn;
a nurse and soldier, in each other's arms,
in war-time setting, were at times forlorn
by their romantic joy fused with alarms.
This burdened Sarah with commingled fears
in expectation of what was to come...
long, rainy days brought forth her anxious tears,
as if, to some sad fate, she would succumb.
In time, more courage made its home within;
with passion, she embraced her womanhood,
and with no fear of tragedy therein,
attained the precious gift of motherhood.
Soon, on that day, when giving birth was done...
the joyful couple welcomed their dear son.
Date: January 4, 2019
~2nd Place~
Contest: Movie Magic
Sponsor: Gregory R. Barden
Judged: 03/21/2019
Movie: 'A Farewell To Arms' - Character, Catherine
Note: "A Farewell To Arms," is a novel by Ernest Hemingway made into a movie. Character Frederic Henry is an American officer serving in an ambulance unit for the Italian Army during World War I. Catherine Barkley, is a Red Cross nurse he had met earlier, near the front, and they engage in an affair, and she becomes pregnant. Catherine's example as an expectant mother was that of a loving, courageous, uplifting, yet fearful one and rainy days were one of her worst fears. However, the end of the movie is very tragic as her child is stillborn, and she herself also passes away from complications. Hence, per contest rules, the ending of my poem is different than portrayed in the movie.
They claim it legitimate
They claim it fact
But the tide has turned
There’ll be no turning back
The lines of life die under bitter, sharp dust
For here and now the do is must
The time we had sleeps in deep fond memory
The sunshine on grass, on mountain, on river,
on tree.
Clear now is not guidance from the fading light.
Through squinting eyes we must never lose sight.
Sacrifice echoes through the mists of time.
Their deeds of honour we remember and we salute
with pride
But the seeds they did sow are now abandoned,
now ash under darker skies
How can we stand in the presence of ghosts who
for our democracy died?
Will we ever see the horizon glow in the colours of
peace when human hearts overthrow for selfish needs?
Do we sit or stand on the frozen ground?
Do we laugh or cry for dreams lost in the shifting sands?
Do we eat and drink ignoring history scream in the
breaking winds?
Do we record this chapter of where cold forces broke
through our walls?
Do we write to history our memory, our justification,
our reasoning for standing in fear and watching
democracy fall?
In deep,drenched trenches did they wait
To confront the foe
Mud-infested and rat-swarmed.
Lit fags,shielded by begrimed and cupped hands,
Passing from mate to mate
Against the booming background
Of the heavy guns.
Some shells bursting overhead
Others throwing up clumps of dirt and burning flesh.
Stifled screams of pain
Which distant ears deny
As they dread the cry
"Over the top"
Into the blazing barrage and the limb-ripping wire.
Now in quiet,restful trenches do they lie
Stark white crosses
Populating the ground
Still and peaceful
Grim reminders of a war
We have time to regret
And wish it had not come to this
That so many had to give their lives
So selflessly to save our future
And lose theirs.
The eyes are the same, we stared across the pub floor.
No recognition, just coldness in his glower.
So many years have gone by since the days of lawless law.
We saw the real thing. We saw the real man.
The stench in the air, young death on the land.
I still hear you cry, I still hear you beg.
For me to finish your life because of what
they’d done to your legs.
You once were my friend, my mate, my
comrade. I never saw you again after the
hell of the trench.
Decades have gone by and there you are now, sat not ten yards away.
Trying to not recognise me? Afraid to speak because of what you think I might say?
My brother, my brother, for what we saw, they’ll never see!
For what we knew, they’ll never know.
For what we did, they’ll never do.
For what we understand, they’ll never even consider.
It’s me, it’s me, please look at me. ‘till my dying day you’ll be a brother to me.
VASILY ZAYTSEV
As nature took me back into times,
To witness sadden and heroic events filled with cries, It was very soul engulfing that I couldn’t stand to witness,
But was compelled by purpose to attend.
Old time landed me safely at STARLINGARD
I beheld a sniper riffle upon a raised platform,
The shooter as I approached diminished,
And I couldn’t say something to him,
I followed my way from starlingard,
Up to YELENINSKOYE ORENBURG, There the story began.
Songs were heard in a family,
A son came into the cosmo,
With a saddened task facing him,
Unknown was it to him,
Destiny and fate moulded him in,
That was VASILY ZAYTSEV The hero of Starlingard.
Gradually he grew into a finetaker,
Tracked down a wolf with only a bullet as a kid he was satisfied, Without a view of his role in Starlingard,
Due to Hitler's territorial conquest.
Troops marching out in thousands,
Outnumbering the alluvial sands,
The hope of the world was towards Starlingard,
Since the soviet union subdued by Hitler.
Starlingard became a stronghold,
Because of the undying spirit of men in the patriotic war.
Assigned to the 1047th Riffle Regiment,
Vasily was the pride of the company which later was named 62nd army at Starlingard,
That was on 17th September 1942,
Vasily started shooting around the axis
Zealous as he was on the battlefield,
A sniper concealing his locations,
Covering a large area from three positions, Known as the "sixies" up till today.
Killing 11 scores plus armed men including 11 snipers. Making It 32 axis killings.
Undiluted spirit of enthusiasm,
Towards conquering enemies at the gates,
Manifested by his perfect shootings,
Calculating the bearings of directions of his sniper,
Diminishing enemies until he conquered,
To him there was no land beyond the ''VOLGA''
ANYABOLU IFEANYI GENTLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The clock coughs twice—a phlegmy tick~
We wrench its hands with clumsy might.
An hour tumbles, lost from sight.
Like dentures down the kitchen sink.
*“Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour in the spring to extend evening daylight during the warmer months, and then setting them back by one hour in the autumn….In the United States, DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November…The concept was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784.,The first widespread implementation occurred during World War I to conserve fuel.” (Source: Wikipedia.com)