THE BOOMING GUNS FALL SILENT

 

The booming guns fall silent

All along the western front

As the dawn breaks and

In dimly lights trenches

Men pass the time in silence,

Alone among the throng

With their own thoughts

Or speaking silently to God

But in the silent waiting

Nerves jangle until the whistles blow

And up they go, over the top

As bullets sing their deadly song

And reap a bitter harvest

But the stalwarts strive on

A deliberate course sustained
Unwavering, toward the foe

Across the battle-scarred field

Amidst smoke and shell 

Where the acrid scented air

Stings the eyes and fills the nostrils

As concussive blast assails the ears

But onward, ever onward

The stalwarts strive on

Not though in the footsteps of heroes

For these heroes are making

The footprints in the mud

That others must follow