They brought him
away from the Front;
his nerve or mind
or both had gone,
something his mind
could not confront
nor condone,
had turned him away
with that breakdown of sense
which no order
nor command
could comprehend
such slaughter,
such barbarity,
such blood-letting
along the line.
George sat in the ward
with other officers
in different ways
of wounded
in mind or flesh.
The sunlight brought
no peace of mind,
nor birdsong lift
the part of soul
from darkness depth.
Nurses came
and doctors too,
words said,
suggestions made,
but nothing much
in the end to do.
Spark's head sat
on the windowsill,
the eyes gazed
with a wide-eyed disbelief;
the smell of death
itches in nose,
constant smell,
and sound of shells,
shell on shell.
Nov 14, 2018
Nov 14, 2018 at 3:04 PM UTC
They brought him
away from the Front;
his nerve or mind
or both had gone,
something his mind
could not confront
nor condone,
had turned him away
with that breakdown of sense
which no order
nor command
could comprehend
such slaughter,
such barbarity,
such blood-letting
along the line.
George sat in the ward
with other officers
in different ways
of wounded
in mind or flesh.
The sunlight brought
no peace of mind,
nor birdsong lift
the part of soul
from darkness depth.
Nurses came
and doctors too,
words said,
suggestions made,
but nothing much
in the end to do.
Spark's head sat
on the windowsill,
the eyes gazed
with a wide-eyed disbelief;
the smell of death
itches in nose,
constant smell,
and sound of shells,
shell on shell.
George hospitalised in 1916 with shell-shock
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