The Sandbag Times Issue No: 41

Poetry Corner
Poetry Corner
Over
I“
Walking These Streets Alone”
©Jane Shields
Walking these streets alone,
Such a long way from home,
Cold and frightened and my heart pounds hard in my chest.
Glancing from left to right,
Hiding away from the light,
Hand on my trigger lest I am put to the test.
I'm on the road to my salvation
Fighting war for a blood stained nation
And there's nowhere Id rather be than back home tonight
Every step I take spells danger
Everyone I cross is a stranger
For me to live I have no other choice than to fight
In the distance I hear guns
My strides turn into runs
The night sky's afire from a thousand blazing rounds
I run through the streets so fast
On to where I hear the blasts
And I pray to the Lord that my own men I have found
I'm a lonesome soldier
All my brothers in arms shot dead
Lord how I cried and cried as I dodged the lead
As they fell
I'm a lonesome soldier
God mercifully spared my life
Now there's blood on my hands from the blade of my own
knife
From this hell
“Hold Me” ©Jane Shields
They don't talk about the ones
No they don't speak, they never say
Whose chairs have wheels instead of legs
From twisted limbs, now blown away
They never speak about the ones
No they don't talk, they never say
That shadows of proud men live on
In shadows live the ones they are today
They don't talk about the ones
No they don't speak, they never say
They keep them far away from sight
To scream through dreams of yesterdays
They never speak about the ones
No they don't talk, they never say
That shadows of proud men live on
In shadows live the ones they are today
and Over Again ©Jane Shields
The soldier stood with vacant eyes
His face twisted in pain
The memories of the battle ground
Revisited him again
He threw himself down on the street
And covered up his head
As all around imagined men
Were shot and falling dead
He rode through the hell of war time
Saw brothers breathe their last
Now fate dealt him the bitter blow
To relive all his past
He wanted to forget the pain
And move on with his life
The nightmares and the flashbacks
That cost him his dear wife
Over and over and over and over again, Over again.....
He screamed out to the ghosts of men
His body wracked with pain
The battle raged on through his mind
To torture him again
The mortar blast rang through his ears
His mind was filled with fear
His eyes stared on emotionless
Yet spilled out his own tears
Over and over and over and over again Over again........
Although frightened and exhausted
He tried to find his feet
He stumbled on the pavement
His mind numb with defeat
He couldn't walk a steady line
Was shaking toe to head
But though his mind was much clearer
He prayed that he was dead
Over and over and over and over again Over again…..
Win This Fantastic Title
This unusual and beautiful book collects
together twenty five of the often read, wellloved
poets. Each poet is illustrated with an
original watercolor portrait by the talented
young artist, Charlotte Zeepvat, who
reproduces in pleasing script one of their
works, giving a biographical summary that
placed the poet firmly in the battlefield
context in which their work was conceived.
To have a chance at winning this
fabulous book, simply email your
poetry to:
jane@sandbagtimes.com
Their silence hurts the most you see
Yes silence hurts, they never say
What happens to the ones who pay
Who's fight lives on inside each day
They never speak about the ones
They never talk, no they don't say
That shadow of proud men lives on
In shadows live the ones they are today
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