Over The Top 1918

Terry Hopper

Luton, Bedfordshire

UK

 

The silence before, a cough and a yawn
The dew on the duckboards, the calm before the storm,
The sleeping lay hushed, not a sound nor a snore
The rats are a-scurry, before the Howitzers roar

Stench of the dead, strewn scattered limbs,
Prayers to angels, soft murmur of hymns,
Confessions a bounty, tears mellow and fall
Ladders are ready, the bugler calls

The whistles are blowing, the calling to arms
Last draw on the cigarette, kiss lucky charms
Over the top, bayonets fixed
No turning back now, the boxes are ticked

Mud and fox holes, shells passing me by
Standing but falling, as hard as I try
A burning sensation, smoke in my eyes,
Best friends and comrades slaughtered by lies.

Bio: Terry calls this: The final moments before the young boys go over the top of the trenches at the Somme in 1918.