The Leaving

In the gnawing bite of winter
The winds, bone chilling, howl
Pale skies of swirling snowflakes
Lay a shroud upon the ground
To a scarred and shattered landscape
Some brief dignity is shown
Where the dead remain unburied
On this dark and blood-stained earth

The fronts inch slowly forward
The battalions follow on
The new blood marches to the Caissons song
Strangers fill the spaces
Join the beleaguered rank and file
Resigned to further battles
Further up the line

But the ground will be retaken
The offensives bogging down
Countering attacks they stall and fail
The stalemate still continued
And the guns still took their toll
And the generals counted casualties
As the soldiers vainly fell

It had to end
The armies broken
One side had lost but who had won
The ravaged land
The decimation
So hard to bear
The loss and pain

The men returned
The war was over
The bells rang out, a country cheered
Behind their eyes
They stored the horrors
Behind their smiles
They hid their fears

The medals and the honours
Were handed out to those who served
The letters of condolences were kept
Reminding generations
Of the sacrifices made
The suffering and the torment
Of the men most never knew
Lest we forget

Farewell to our homes and our families
Farewell to the lives we once knew
Farewell to our youth and our lessons
We march to a brave new world