April 2004
Visiting our lost brothers who fought for us
A palimpsest of fallen courage
Turmoil and anguish, half a generation destined
To a doomed path for a worthless cause
‘The war to end all wars’?
Four long years of fighting and dying
For the hundreds of thousands of graves we are treading
Patriotic pride grips our hearts
The pride they felt initially, before another year made a start
A tear and an intake of breath as we realize the cost
At these very places where so many young lives were lost.
