#militarypoetry
***
She watched the soldiers disappear
Beyond the smoke and rain,
Their shadows fading through the mist
Across the shattered plain.
No trumpet sang, no banners waved,
No glory filled the air.
Only weary men with haunted eyes
Marching toward despair.
When silence settled on the field,
She slowly walked ahead.
To where the soldiers once had stood
Among the torn and dead.
The earth was churned by mud and blood,
By boots and shellfire’s flame.
And scattered there like fallen leaves
Forgotten letters lay.
She knelt among the poppies red,
Her trembling fingers cold,
And lifted pages soaked by rain,
Still carrying words of home.
One letter spoke of mother’s bread,
Still warm upon the tray.
A father waiting by the fire
At ending of the day.
Another told of sweetheart’s eyes,
And promises once made.
Of dancing halls and wedding rings
Beyond the war’s dark shade.
One spoke of brothers left behind,
Of sisters growing tall.
Of Christmas bells and childhood games
Beside an old stone wall.
Each page she read held hope and love,
Simple dreams so small.
Yet every word became a ghost
Across that broken sprawl.
Tears slowly traced her weary face
As twilight dimmed the sky.
For every letter seemed to breathe
With lives that did not die.
Then nearby in the muddy earth,
Half-hidden by the rain,
She saw a fallen soldier there,
Still silent where he lay.
His hand still grasped a final page,
Its writing left undone.
The ink had blurred beneath the storm,
The sentence never done.
She gently knelt beside the boy,
No older than her years.
And carefully she took the page
While fighting back her tears.
“My darling Mum…” the letter read,
Then suddenly it ceased.
The final words forever lost
In war’s unholy grief.
She bowed her head beside the dead,
The wind so cold and still.
Around them scarlet poppies swayed
Across the shattered hill.
Then softly through the falling dusk
She whispered low and true,
“I promise I will send this home.
I will remember you.”
“I’ll tell them how you fought with courage,
How you carried hope through pain.
How even here, beneath this hell,
Your heart stayed kind through rain.”
The soldiers marched far out of sight,
The guns began once more.
But she remained among the letters
Scattered by the war.
Gathering every fragile page
Like treasures from the dead,
To carry home their final words
And all the tears they bled.
For though the war would take their lives,
And silence many stories,
One soul remained to speak their names
And guard their memories.
5d ago
May 30, 2026 at 3:47 AM UTC
In the stillness of dawn, a soldier dreams,
Of a home left behind, or was it just a gleam?
Hiraeth grips the heart, a silent yearning stream,
For a place he cannot reach, but knows by heart's theme.
Memories flicker like stars in the night,
Of laughter and warmth, of love shining bright.
Yet the battlefield's echoes drown out the sight,
A soldier's dream of home, in the midst of the fight.
Hiraeth whispers in the rustling leaves,
A home unrealised, a heart that grieves.
Through the chaos and noise, a soul believes,
In the dream of returning, a soldier achieves.
May 26
May 26, 2026 at 7:02 AM UTC
We walked where the maps gave up,
where the wind had no manners
and the dust clung to your boots
like it meant to follow you home.
No brass bands, no speeches —
just the quiet nod of lads
who knew the weight of distance
and the price of being needed.
The guns were our heartbeat,
steady as old friends,
loud enough to remind the world
we were still there,
still holding the line
even when the line was thin.
Everywhere they sent us,
we left something behind:
a bootprint in the mud,
a joke whispered in the rain,
a promise kept in the dark.
And though the world forgets
the ones who fire from the shadows,
the guns remember.
They always do.
May 19
May 19, 2026 at 3:30 AM UTC
The road stretched out before us
like it had a grudge to settle —
mile after mile of mud,
rain that couldn’t take a hint,
and boots that swore at you
with every step.
But we walked it anyway,
because that’s what gunners do.
No fuss, no drama,
just a steady plod
and the occasional complaint
to keep morale at the correct level
of cheerful misery.
The gun rattled behind us,
its wheels clattering like an old aunt
who never approved of anything
but insisted on coming along.
We shared the weight,
shared the jokes,
shared the aches that settled in
like unwelcome lodgers.
And somewhere along that endless road,
between the blisters and the banter,
we found a kind of peace —
the simple truth
that you’re never alone
when you’re walking with gunners.
At the end of the day,
when the boots came off
and the brew went on,
we’d look back at the road
and laugh at how far we’d come.
And tomorrow,
we’d do it all again —
because the road never ends,
and neither does the regiment.
May 18
May 18, 2026 at 9:23 AM UTC
You never really know a hill
until you’ve dragged a gun up it —
rope biting your palms,
sweat stinging your eyes,
and some lad behind you muttering
that this was never in the brochure.
The mules had more sense than we did,
planting their hooves
like they were arguing with the mountain.
But we coaxed them on,
one curse, one pat, one promise at a time.
Up there, the air thins
and the world goes quiet,
as if waiting to see
whether you’ve got the grit
to finish what you started.
And when the gun finally settles
on the ridge like a stubborn old king,
you feel it —
that small, private pride
that no medal ever captures.
Because it wasn’t glory
that got the gun up there.
It was lads with aching backs,
bad jokes,
and the simple belief
that the job needed doing
and we were the poor sods to do it.
May 16
May 16, 2026 at 4:54 AM UTC
✈️☁️🇬🇧🌤️
RAF wings climb through storm and dome,
Carrying hope and thoughts of home.
Across the clouds their engines sing,
Guarding peace on silent wing.
Though distant skies may call them far,
Home still shines their guiding star.
🌤️🛩️💙✈️
May 11
May 11, 2026 at 1:01 PM UTC
⚓🌊🇬🇧⛴️
The Royal Navy sails the tide,
With sacrifice and ancient pride.
Through storm-lit nights and rolling sea,
Their watch endures for liberty.
Beneath white ensigns bold and true,
Old honour sails in every crew.
⛴️🌅⚓🌊
May 11
May 11, 2026 at 12:59 PM UTC
⚔️🌤️🚶♂️✨
True courage walks where few have been,
Quiet, steady, calm, unseen.
Through shadowed paths and falling rain,
It bears the loss, endures the pain.
No trumpet sounds, no crowds applaud,
Yet strength still walks the hardest road.
✨🚶♂️🌿⚔️
May 11
May 11, 2026 at 12:57 PM UTC
We walked where the maps gave up,
where the wind had no manners
and the dust clung to your boots
like it meant to follow you home.
No brass bands, no speeches —
just the quiet nod of lads
who knew the weight of distance
and the price of being needed.
The guns were our heartbeat,
steady as old friends,
loud enough to remind the world
we were still there,
still holding the line
even when the line was thin.
Everywhere they sent us,
we left something behind:
a bootprint in the mud,
a joke whispered in the rain,
a promise kept in the dark.
And though the world forgets
the ones who fire from the shadows,
the guns remember.
They always do.
May 11
May 11, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTC
“Where Courage Finds Its Sound”
***
He walks out front.
Not behind.
Not tucked safe in the ranks.
No shield.
No sword.
Just lungs full of fire
and a tune older than kings.
The pipes scream.
Not for ceremony—
for courage.
For the lads behind him
with blades in hand
and hearts thumping like war drums.
He plays through the smoke,
through the fear,
through the mud that grabs at boots
and the sky that spits iron.
Every note says:
We are still here.
Every breath says:
We do not kneel.
And when the clash comes—
steel on steel,
roar on roar—
he plays louder.
Because freedom needs a soundtrack,
and he’s the first to bleed it into the wind.
May 6
May 6, 2026 at 8:47 AM UTC
“The Songs Carried Home”
***
They come down the Royal Mile,
boots steady, kilts swinging,
pipes crying out like old ghosts
who’ve seen too much
but still sing.
The Black Watch.
Back from the dust and fire,
from places where the sky
didn’t know peace.
Now they march through Edinburgh,
castle watching from its perch,
crowd lining the street
with eyes full of pride
and a few tears tucked behind sunglasses.
The drums don’t just beat—
they remember.
Every thud says...
We made it.
Every note says...
Not all of us did.
And the pipers—
they don’t flinch.
They play for the ones
who walked beside them
and now walk only in memory.
This isn’t just a parade.
It’s a promise.
That Scotland remembers.
That the uniform still means something.
That the sound of the pipes
can carry grief,
glory,
and home.
all in one breath.
May 1
May 1, 2026 at 3:35 AM UTC
“What We Carry in Silence”
***
There are things we talk about —
the weather,
our kit,
the food,
the daft things that happened
out on exercise.
And then there are the things
we don’t.
The fear.
The doubt.
The moments that shook us.
The faces we still see
when the room goes quiet.
We don’t say them out loud
because we don’t need to.
The lads already know.
A nod,
a look,
a hand on the shoulder —
that’s enough.
Words are for civvies.
We deal in silence,
shared understanding,
and the unspoken truth
that we’d go through it all again
for each other.
The only words that matter are—
For each other.
Apr 30
Apr 30, 2026 at 3:52 AM UTC
“The Compass That Led Me Home”
Men go to war
for all sorts of reasons —
duty, pride,
orders,
habit.
But they come home
for one.
Her.
Him.
Family.
The thought of their laugh,
their voice,
their hand in mine —
that was the compass
that pointed me back
every time.
When the nights were long
and the cold cut deep,
I’d picture them waiting,
lights on,
kettle ready,
like the world hadn’t changed
while I was away.
And maybe it hadn’t.
Maybe they kept it steady
so I’d have something
worth returning to.
That’s why I came back.
Every time.
Every mile.
Every ****** step.
To stand silently,
smiling in my home.
Apr 29
Apr 29, 2026 at 3:13 AM UTC
“The Moment Between Boy and Soldier”
***
The plane shakes.
Loud.
Metal belly full of lads
trying not to throw up their nerves.
I grip the straps.
Check my chute.
Again.
Again.
Because once I jump,
there’s no second chance.
The red-light glows.
We wait.
No one talks.
Just breathing and blinking,
and maybe a prayer
tucked behind someone’s teeth.
Green.
Go.
I step out into nothing.
Cold air grabs me—
a slap, a scream, a silence.
Then the chute snaps open
like a fist unclenching.
Floating now.
But not for long.
Visioning—
a world on fire—
tracers, flak,
trees that don’t care
who lands in them.
I hit the ground hard.
Roll.
Mud in my mouth.
Gun in my hand.
And just like that,
I’m not a boy anymore.
The realisation of what could be—
yet I climb aboard
for my next training jump.
Apr 28
Apr 28, 2026 at 3:47 AM UTC
“15000 Miles Between Heartbeats”
***
You missed my ship—
I shout into the distance,
half anger, half ache.
I’m already on my way,
and you don’t even know it.
The horn fades
into a thinning shore,
and I carry myself
fifteen hundred miles
toward something
I cannot yet name.
Tomorrow—
war.
Battles waiting
just beyond sleep.
Silence stretches wide,
too wide
for men meant to fill it.
My thoughts drift—
home,
where hearts sit warm
and untouched.
But here we stand,
shoulder to shoulder,
steady…
or pretending to be.
Night breaks open—
fire in the sky,
thunder tearing through bone.
Fear climbs quietly,
finding every gap
we try to seal.
Bravery—
a mask we wear well.
Because the truth?
The horror is loud,
sharp,
unforgettable.
Then morning comes—
as if nothing happened.
The storm loosens its grip,
and the sea remembers
how to breathe again.
Laughter returns,
fragile at first,
like it’s asking permission.
Still—
fifteen thousand miles from home,
and somehow
love reaches us.
I sail back—
toward familiar shores,
toward names I know.
But something stays behind.
Grief travels with me,
quiet,
unpacked.
Too many
do not return.
Their journey ends
where ours continues.
And maybe—
that is their peace.
Rows of coffins.
Flags draped low.
A bugle cries
soft enough
to break you.
And the questions—
they don’t leave.
What did they give?
What did they lose?
And who decides
what it was worth?
I still ask that question—
Old photos in my hands,
faces that never made it home.
And still…
I ask—why?
Apr 24
Apr 24, 2026 at 5:09 AM UTC
Part 1
***
The Unexpected Path
Orders lead me on.
Roads I never thought to walk.
Purpose found in dust.
***
Calm Within Chaos
Gunfire fades to breath.
A still mind in the madness.
Calm between heartbeats.
***
Life’s Delicate Balance
Armour on, heart soft.
Strength and fear walk side by side.
Balance forged in fire.
***
Woven Brotherhood
Laughs, loss, silent nods.
Threads of lives stitched into one.
Brothers stand as one.
***
Embrace the Unknown
New ground under boots.
Change comes with each dawn we face.
Step into the dark.
***
Rhythm of the March
Bootsteps drum the earth.
Hearts beat in a steady line.
Marching into fate.
***
Hidden Lessons
Scars beneath the kit.
Lessons learned in silent watch.
Wisdom earned, not told.
***
Turning Deployments
Tours come, tours will end.
Stories carried home within.
Chapters etched in time.
***
Steady in the Storm
Rain, fire, and long nights.
Hold the line through every storm.
Strength stands unbroken.
Mar 28
Mar 28, 2026 at 5:10 AM UTC
***
You missed my ship—
I shouted it
into the wind.
Too late now.
The horn sounded
from a distant harbour,
and the sea
took us with it.
Fifteen hundred miles
between me
and home.
Tomorrow
there will be war.
For now,
only silence—
a wide ocean
holding its breath.
And my thoughts
drift back
to where my heart lives.
Then the night
erupts.
Fire in the dark.
Thunder in the sky.
Fear rising
like cold water.
We stand our ground.
Bravery
is often just
fear
wearing a uniform.
The noise—
unbearable.
The horror—
closer
than words allow.
And then
morning.
The guns fall quiet.
The sea
pretends
nothing happened.
Someone laughs.
Someone else
lights a cigarette.
Fifteen hundred miles
from home—
yet love
still finds us.
One day
I sail back.
Home again.
Family waiting.
Familiar streets.
But something
stays behind.
Because not everyone
comes home.
Rows of coffins.
Flags
folded carefully.
A bugle
breaking the silence.
Soft.
Slow.
Tears fall
without permission.
And the question
still drifts
through the wind—
What was given?
What was gained?
By Paul Baldry (LongJohn)
Mar 5
Mar 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM UTC
***
WHISPERS IN THE GRAIN
Silent fields murmur
stories etched in weathered earth
footsteps linger still
their shadows dance with the rain
echoes of the brave remain
***
ENDURING LIGHT
Lost hearts softly breathe
woven through the quiet night
strength in stillness glows
a flicker that will not fade
guiding us through darkest hours
***
LEGACY UNBROKEN
Storms have tested them
yet they rose with steady grace
honour shining bright
memories time cannot dim
their legacy standing firm
***
SACRED NAMES
Courage blooms in grief
where the brave once laid their claim
sorrow turns to vow
in remembrance we hold them
renewing each sacred name
***
STARS OVER THE DEEP
Bright stars overhead
shadows dance on restless waves
sailors drift through fate
dreams carried like whispered foam
lost yet longing for the dawn
Mar 6
Mar 6, 2026 at 3:19 AM UTC
***
You missed my ship—
I shouted it
into the wind.
Too late now.
The horn sounded
from a distant harbour,
and the sea
took us with it.
Fifteen hundred miles
between me
and home.
Tomorrow
there will be war.
For now,
only silence—
a wide ocean
holding its breath.
And my thoughts
drift back
to where my heart lives.
Then the night
erupts.
Fire in the dark.
Thunder in the sky.
Fear rising
like cold water.
We stand our ground.
Bravery
is often just
fear
wearing a uniform.
The noise—
unbearable.
The horror—
closer
than words allow.
And then
morning.
The guns fall quiet.
The sea
pretends
nothing happened.
Someone laughs.
Someone else
lights a cigarette.
Fifteen hundred miles
from home—
yet love
still finds us.
One day
I sail back.
Home again.
Family waiting.
Familiar streets.
But something
stays behind.
Because not everyone
comes home.
Rows of coffins.
Flags
folded carefully.
A bugle
breaking the silence.
Soft.
Slow.
Tears fall
without permission.
And the question
still drifts
through the wind—
What was given?
What was gained?
By Paul Baldry (LongJohn)
Mar 5
Mar 5, 2026 at 3:44 PM UTC
You missed my ship—
I shouted it
into the wind.
Too late now.
The horn sounded
from a distant harbour,
and the sea
took us with it.
Fifteen hundred miles
between me
and home.
Tomorrow
there will be war.
For now,
only silence—
a wide ocean
holding its breath.
And my thoughts
drift back
to where my heart lives.
Then the night
erupts.
Fire in the dark.
Thunder in the sky.
Fear rising
like cold water.
We stand our ground.
Bravery
is often just
fear
wearing a uniform.
The noise—
unbearable.
The horror—
closer
than words allow.
And then
morning.
The guns fall quiet.
The sea
pretends
nothing happened.
Someone laughs.
Someone else
lights a cigarette.
Fifteen hundred miles
from home—
yet love
still finds us.
One day
I sail back.
Home again.
Family waiting.
Familiar streets.
But something
stays behind.
Because not everyone
comes home.
Rows of coffins.
Flags
folded carefully.
A bugle
breaking the silence.
Soft.
Slow.
Tears fall
without permission.
And the question
still drifts
through the wind—
What was given?
What was gained?
By Paul Baldry (LongJohn)
Mar 5
Mar 5, 2026 at 4:22 AM UTC
By LongJohn, honouring the Royal Artillery motto and spirit
They say the infantry hold the ground,
the cavalry takes the glory,
and the gunners…
well, we just change the landscape.
Our thunder isn’t borrowed —
it’s earned,
forged in steel and sweat,
carried on the backs of lads
who know exactly what it means
to serve a crown you’ll never meet
but feel in your bones.
When the order comes,
there’s no hesitation —
just the calm of men
who’ve rehearsed the end of the world
often enough to make it look tidy.
The gun speaks,
the earth answers,
and somewhere in that rolling crack
you hear the history of the regiment —
from Flanders mud
to Afghan dust,
from the smoke of Waterloo
to the cold rain of the Falklands.
We don’t shout about it.
We don’t need to.
The guns do that for us.
And when the smoke clears
and the world steadies itself,
we stand there —
boots planted,
ears ringing,
hearts steady —
knowing we’ve added our own small echo
to the King’s thunder.
Feb 8
Feb 8, 2026 at 7:24 AM UTC
By LongJohn
There’s a certain way a Number One speaks —
calm as a Sunday morning,
sharp as a fresh sharpened knife,
and carrying enough authority
to make even the cockiest lad
stand up a bit straighter.
He didn’t need to shout.
Didn’t need to swagger.
Just a quiet, steady
“Stand by…”
and every man on the det
felt the world tighten into focus.
You learned to trust that voice —
in the rain, in the dark,
in the moments when the air itself
seemed to hold its breath.
He knew his gun
like other men know their children:
every quirk, every mood,
every sound it made
when it was happy, angry,
or about to misbehave.
And when the order came,
his voice cut through the chaos
like a lighthouse beam,
guiding you through the noise
to the one thing that mattered:
doing the job right,
first time,
every time.
Years later,
you still hear it —
that calm, unshakeable tone
that made you believe
you could hold the line
against anything.
A Number One doesn’t just command a gun.
He commands confidence.
And that’s rarer than ammunition.
Feb 8
Feb 8, 2026 at 7:30 AM UTC
Direct fire — the layer’s true arena
By LongJohn
There’s nothing gentle about direct fire.
No time for poetry,
no time for second guesses —
just the sight,
the target,
and the knowledge
that the moment you squeeze the trigger
you’ve lit a ****** great arrow
pointing straight back at yourself.
That’s when the layer earns his keep.
One eye shut,
the other sharp as a knife edge,
breath held,
hands steady,
heart doing its own thing
but you ignore it.
The gun bucks,
the world flashes white,
and before the smoke even clears
you’re shouting for the next round —
because speed is life,
and accuracy is survival.
“Get them before they get you,”
that’s the rule.
Simple.
Unforgiving.
True every time.
The layer doesn’t wait for applause.
He doesn’t look up to see
if anyone noticed.
He just adjusts,
leans in again,
and finds the next target
like it personally owes him money.
And when the day’s done
and the gun cools
and the adrenaline finally lets go,
he’ll sit there quiet,
hands still trembling a bit,
knowing he did what few can do —
hit fast,
hit true,
and walk away from a job
that doesn’t forgive mistakes.
Feb 8
Feb 8, 2026 at 7:35 AM UTC
By LongJohn
I’ve never been much for churches,
but I’ve said a few prayers
in the rain,
in the dark,
and once or twice
with my face in the mud
wondering what the hell
I’d done with my life.
So, here’s a gunner’s prayer —
plain,
unpolished,
and true.
Keep the lads steady,
the sights clean,
and the Number One calm
when the world starts shaking.
Keep the layer sharp,
the loader quick,
and the signaller awake
even when he swears, he is.
Keep the rounds dry,
the fuses honest,
and the gun behaving herself
long enough to do the job.
And when the smoke settles
and the echoes fade,
keep us humble enough
to remember why we’re here
and who we stand beside.
If there’s mercy to spare,
give it to the young ones —
they’ve got more to lose
and less to hide behind.
As for the rest of us,
we’ll take whatever comes
with the same stubborn pride
that’s carried the regiment
from the first gun fired
to the last.
Amen,
or whatever word
a gunner uses
when he means it.
Feb 8
Feb 8, 2026 at 7:50 AM UTC
"Legacy in the Stillness"
Silently mountains whisper,
Footsteps of the brave remain,
Shadows of lost hearts.
In the stillness, they breathe strength,
A legacy of honour.
"Lanterns Beneath the Waves"
Beneath the bright stars,
Sailors lost in endless waves,
Their dreams now at sea.
In the depths, their spirits rise,
Guiding lanterns in the dark.
"March of Memory"
Muddy boots on the path,
Marching through the weight of time,
Memories of pain.
Yet courage fuels each stride,
A strengthening their fight.
"Valour in the Wind"
Airborne spirits soar,
Clouds cradle the fallen's dreams,
Wisps of valour’s grace.
In each gust, their stories told,
Bravery etched in the sky.
"Stone of Honour"
Cannon fire echoes,
A mother's heart breaks in two,
Lost son on the field.
Yet she stands with pride and grace,
His name wrapped in honours stone.
Feb 7
Feb 7, 2026 at 12:30 PM UTC