Gathering dust and clinging webs
The attic cache lies in wait
Trunks and boxes long untouched
The time has come to investigate
Sepia photos, cracked and faded
Sticking pages, broken binding
Letters home, bound with twine
The tales of war, I am finding
Peruse the pictures, study the faces
So full of youthful determination
His postures straight, those twinkling eyes
Would soon be witness to an extermination
Ravaged, disfigured, lungs burned by gas
Returned to England, the war barely survived
Haunted by nightmares, wracked by cough
This broken man came home to die
War upon his sweetheart, laid the burden
Tore away the chance for a happy life
For the babe that quickened in 1914
Was all that he left his beloved wife
(Header image: The Ypres Salient at Night – Paul Nash, artist)
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 
A beautiful poem to depict what war does to families, not just the soldiers!
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Thank you, Rashmi! I’m trying to get my creative mind back into the WWI story. I hope to start up again soon.
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You know, just this morning I was thinking about that story, wondering when the next part will be up! 😀
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I have to go back and re-read it, myself! 😀
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You do that sister! 🙂
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😉👍
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There’s someone else here waiting eagerly!
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Ah! Thank you! Sorry for the delay! Coming soon!
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Wow, Doc! That was great…and sobering, sadly.
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Thank you so much. I’m restarting a story I set aside for a couple months – WWI is the central theme. It is a sobering subject. But it fascinates me as well!
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Crazy way to fight a war. The trenches, the proximity to one another’s enemy, the gas. It’s a wonder anyone survived. I look forward to reading it. 😃
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vivid and I felt and saw everything 🙂 love it
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Thanks, Daisy!
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I have often wondered, even today, how the wives of servicemen handle their husbands being away with the possibility of no return. Especially with children — sometimes children he’s not even met yet. I cannot imagine being one of those wives… I already worry too much as it is.
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I know. It has to be the worst feeling in the world. I can’t imagine that kind of dread…
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I have so much other dread… most of which is probably self-created. I’d be even more of a basketcase than I already am… though some days, that doesn’t seem possible!
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We certainly can be our own worst enemies! Imagining the worst case scenario all the time. Trouble is when it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy… 😳
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I love poetry that tells a story and takes us to another time and place. The soldiers and their families are really the victims as much as anybody else
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Thank you, Mr. M. I agree, war’s ugly fingers stretch far off the field of battle
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I had a professional assignment in Poland for a while and learned the devastating effect on families there, even a couple generations later
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Oh, I can only imagine… Two back to back generations of young men sent off to the most horrific violence the world had seen to that point
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Yes, I was about 30 at the time and was drinking with a professional colleague, who was Polish, and the subject of his grandparents came up innocently enough. It was a very difficult and enlightening conversation for an American Midwesterner who grew up in the most sheltered environment.
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I’m sure. Yet, what an impact it must have had on you. You’ve had an interesting journey thus far, it seems.
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Meg, please delete my very inappropriate comment that was a whimsical response to a comment on my blog. I am embarrassed and apologize
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No worries. ‘Twas quite the non sequitur however! 😂 I was actually staring at it, trying to figure out how to respond!
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I am sure. I was rapidly driving home so I could quickly send you an email
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Please don’t worry, I saw the post it was in reference to earlier today. You don’t need to apologize!
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So very heartbreaking. Beautiful in its sadness.
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Thank you, Mari.
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Sad. Great descriptions of one of the bloodiest wars in history. Perfect for the image.
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Yes, I loved the painting when I found it in my search. Thanks, Drew!
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Wow! Enough said!
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Getting my mind back in the story…
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It’s rare that poetry really “speaks” to me, but this one did. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you Barb! I’m honored!
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This reminds me of a scene in Homeland(The TV series) when everyone was waiting for a speech from Brody(the former POW) and then his wife stood and made a speech that was way more moving. The effects of the wars are felt at home. Always.
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So true. And for generations sometimes. Thanks for reading, Deb!
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The far reaching effects of war are only better imagined. You painted a bleak and vivid picture.
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Thank you Jacqui, that’s what I hoped would come through.
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Great poem Meg and great image
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Thank you. I love the painting.
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It is a great painting.
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