Soldier Boys By Bronwyn Ellis

The unsung heroes nameless in war, Fighting and dying like thousands before, Forgetting their freedom to salvage our own, And the promise of honour when the troops return home, Boys trained to men in the blink of an eye, To combat and conquer or battle and die, Where all hope is lost they continue in vain, And we bury their bodies but never their name. They bear tragic wounds like an honoury seal, But the damage inside them is too great to heal, For all the survivors who cheated their end, Have each lived to witness the death of a friend. Their hearts beat the rhythm of a black boot patrol, They discipline fear with the march of control, Erasing their grief with the passion to serve, Performing their duty till the very last nerve. The boys in the schoolyard who played as a soldier, Trade childhood for weapons the moment they're older, What once was a game, a youthful pretending, Will now write their story, or signal their ending. When war is upon us, the selfless attend it, They sacrifice life for the chance to amend it, For courage is needed where grief has ensued, Our heroes of battle, the red white and blues.

Copyright ©2009  Bronwyn Ellis

This poem can also be read on iPoetry, the poetry app for the iphone/ipod touch available on the Apple iTunes App Store.

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