PoetBay.com, the poetry webpage where you can publish your poems and short stories

THE PIONEER DETACHMENT (WW1 - story-poem.)(with addisons)

Ten men detailed to repair the road
Fill in the - shell craters
Clear away a dead mule - a dead horse
Remains of dead solders - a broken gun
It's broken carriage - the unfired shells
All put in to separate piles
Fore another detachment of Pioneers
The ten men - grumbled - as is their wont
As they went about their task - their cart
Soon emptied of shovels - rocks and stones
Shel craters filled - a service fore being completed
Fore guns - and all the what not of war to travel over
The second detachment - pile up the wagons - with salvage
Guns - bodys and all
Dead mules and horses - dragged away - proberly end up in a stew later
That night - or in the tomorrows dinner

Then when all the tasks completed
The Germans sent over a strafe of shells
The ten pioneers - became three unwounded - one later became insane
Four dead - two limbless - arms - legs - gone
Three - vanished - just two pair of boots found - with feet still inside "em
Their blood - body parts - decorating the trees - the fields - fore at least a mile around.

The second detachment of Pioneers returned to view the seen
All were struck dumb - by the horror - that lay out before their eyes
Then one broke the spell
'' FOOK IT!" '' Recon - we're be ordered to clean up this bleeding - bloody shit! "
'' Aye " said another " ; " and fill in the 'oles! '' '' Finish off the job"
" The - bastards - left it fore 'os ter do! " The detachment - all nervelessly - grind! And got on with it!
The dead Pioneers - buried in a hurry - the rude wooden crosses with their names - lost and forgot. By the army - in the Confucian of war.The local Frenh did not forget, the Pioneers - they were interred - later after the war reburied to lay with other soldiers - just with out their names.

The dead now lay side by side - no names on the grave stones - regimental badge. With these words: A British soldier - known unto God - on each grave stone.

In the regimental diary - were wrote: " A quiet day - nothing of major significance to report".

ken d williams

The Dyslexic Wordsmith

Poetry by ken d williams