Now, I'm not religious, nor am I a soldier. However, I was moved when we learnt about the World Wars back in secondary school, and this is a Poem I always remember from English lessons - it's just stuck with me for some reason.
Of the ones posted, I particularly like IF.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Author Unknown
The Last Inspection
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
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There's another World War poem I cannot find at the moment, but I liked, so wondered whether someone could help?
The poem tells about how the men were so young, and were beginning to see the beauty of the world (or words to that effect), but then had to destroy it.
I think one line was "we know only war".
Edit: I realised it wasn't a poem, but a line or two from All Quiet on the Western Front (a truly great book if you haven't read it!)
I'll post it anyway; I suppose it could be considered poetry in itself.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Remarque
"We are not youth any longer. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces. The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts. We are cut off from activity, from striving, from progress. We believe in such things no longer, we believe in the war."
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