There's a moral here, somewhere.

Subject: There's a moral here, somewhere. Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:27 am

Gallipoli

My boots hang in bloody tatters ‘round frostbite-eaten feet,
‘Twixt earth and muddy water, through hailstones and sleet;
I dare not show my face above this ditch I call my own,
The coffin trenches, far and wide, our corpses make our home.

Winter burns with frosty might,
Chills creep down my spine,
Sleep denies me come the sight
Of this land I can’t call mine;

My rifle frozen to my hands,
I no longer feel the pain,
The beach awash with bloody sands
Far back through wind and rain;

And jeering catcalls fill our night, sadistic bearers we despise,
Fuel for our hatred come the morn when another comrade dies;
The frosty mist dispelled by the sun, scorching, sinister heat;
The clouds of flies arise with the stench of gangrene in our feet.

Beacons formed by rifle-shot,
Knives glint in glaring sun,
We wait with baited breath,
‘Till our final cause be done.

The whistle blows! The thunder charge of soldiers, boys and men,
We’re off to war! To glory charge, to freedom, righteous, amen!
What fools were we! Good patriots, they’ll call us Anzacs yet,
Our war will soon be over … each warrior, time finally forgets.

A piece of prose dedicated to remembering the tragedy that was the Battle of Gallipoli. Ten thousand Anzacs against the Ottoman Empire, and neither side participating in the battle actually wanted to be there. It lasted eight months, and thousands upon thousands of people who needen't have died did.

Subject: Re: There's a moral here, somewhere. Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:22 pm

Excellent work, Chris! Not a single word is out of place. The flow is flawless, and the story both historically accurate and engaging.

I'm giving you twenty five literary regard points for a more-than-usually brilliant work.