Poetry Break – “Let Me Tell You How I Died” – Part I Finale – An Old Soldier

Hello everyone! As promised, here is the final segment of Part I of my Poem epic – the conclusion to the WWII part of the series (which is brought to you with some mild confusion on the new block editor … so apologies if it doesn’t look the same!) I hope you have enjoyed this first part! Next year, the epic will return with Part II which covers the First World War. I will look forward to seeing you then.
LET ME TELL YOU HOW I DIED
PART I – SEGMENT 7
An Old Soldier
Alone in a hospital room, with no one around
Just hurried doctors, making their rounds
I can’t eat, or walk, or even breathe on my own
I’m hooked up to machines, they beep and drone
But I can tell you that’s not how it used to be
There was a time long ago, if only you could see
I once charged a battlefield, without any thanks
I fought off guns, artillery, and tanks
I stormed across France and liberated towns
I beat up the Nazis, tore their swastikas down
I was shot at, wounded, and exposed to the cold
But I took it all in stride, a young man so bold
Then came the real battle, as the years went by
The war with time, my how does it fly
In the world’s biggest war, I paid my due
But that’s just a memory, evaporated like spring dew
My hair turned white, eyes faded, the leaves brown
I’m old and feeble, and all worn down
So they unhooked the machine, and away I go
To the place on the timeline where I was a hero
For an Intro and Segment 1 (the Blitz) of this Series – Click Here
For Segment 2 (Stalingrad) – Click Here
For Segment 3 (Pearl Harbor) – Click Here
For Segment 4 (Normandy) – Click Here
For Segment 5 (Iwo Jima) – Click Here
For Segment 6 (The Bomb) – Here!
This will be my last post of 2018! I wish you all a very Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year! Be sure to tune back in in 2019 for lots more history, poetry, photography, and more!
Beautiful tribute to the greatest generation!
Thank you very much!
Very nice and the feeling is so true to the circumstances.
Thank you 🙂
Excellent and poignant, MB. Greatly looking forward to your WW1 poetry. Happy Holidays!
Yay! Will be glad to have you along for it, Dave. A Happy Holidays and New Year to you as well
It is sad how his life ends, but nobody or nothing can take away his memory or dignity.
Very well said! 🙂
Nice to have one of your soldiers live a long life. Fabulous series of poems. I’ll look for you next year! (Can it really be around the corner already?)
I know right? This year just flew by didn’t it? My goodness! Glad you enjoyed the work!
This beautiful finale could work for any active life. That is not to deny the tribute it contains
Very true! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Beautiful words that make sure we never forget their sacrifice.
Thank you very much 🙂 And you’re right – we must never forget!
fabulous words !!!
Thank you!
A great ending to a wonderful series! Enjoyed these lovely tributes, MB.
Sidenote: what’s up with the new block editor? I don’t like it!
That’s a very good question. I’m not sure I’m a fan of it either. The other version was so much simpler! So glad you enjoyed the poems 🙂
Beautiful and sad. Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us. Your Godmother Clarice iis smiling down on you!
Glad you liked it.
My father was one of those guys who refused to talk about his time in service. For him, it was all about the heat and illness of New Guinea (where he lost sight in one eye, along with his sense of smell and taste) and the boredom and cruelty of being a guard in a German POW camp in New Mexico.
But those last few years, with the frequent trips to the VA, and the time spent in waiting rooms with other vets, he opened up.
In his last few weeks, slowly suffocating from the damage done to his lungs many years ago in the South Pacific, he came to realize that he found a place in the timeline, where he could be a hero.
I did a lot of interviews with veterans for my book, and I found that when veterans were around other veterans, that is when they were most themselves and the most open. It’s a bond that I can’t imagine ever goes away. I’m so sorry about your dad <3
MB, Enjoyed your 2018 posts, including the How I Died series. Looking forward to your 2019 posts. I hope you and your husband have a great holiday season and a happy, healthy 2019.
Thank you very much for the compliments and the well-wishes! 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful holiday season as well 🙂 See you in 2019!
So powerful and so well written my dear friend.
Thank you! 🙂 <3
You’re welcome dearest. ❤️
Well I’ll miss your posts, but will look forward to your return. Have a wonderful Yuletide and see you in 2019.
Likewise! I will be on here and there when I can, so hope to see more of your pictures! 🙂
Beautifully written. Have a wonderful Christmas and see you here next year. 😊
Thank you! Hope you have a lovely Christmas season and New Year!
Sad, but he fought and became a hero and lived till old age took him. I like it.
Thank you 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it.
I bet countless soldiers lived through this kind of experience – unable to speak or move, remembering the horrors of war and their bravery in it. Nicely done.
Thank you!
Meaningful poem of an old soldier dying with sounds of ‘beeps and drones,’ a sad ending for many old, both soldiers and others, timelines never known.
It is the sad truth. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
sad, touching!
happy holidays
and joyful moments 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it. Very Happy Holidays to you too!
Wow – what a “felt” poem – it grabs ya! Loved it! 💕😊📜
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Your empathy is palpable and infectious, MB.
That is a very flattering compliment, thank you very much!
Very moving.
Thank you!
How heartbreaking that no one was there with him at the end. One can only hope that in the years between the war and his old age he felt that his sacrifices were both appreciated and worthwhile. Thank you for this beautifully written piece, M.B. — and happy New Year, too.
A very happy new year to you as well! Thanks for coming by and sharing your thoughts – been loving all the wonderful pics on your blog!
Checking this right now, what a powerful post to end the year…so moving!
Thank you!
Happy Holidays and New Year to you as well
Thank you!
Very well expressed. What pain the war generations must have carried with them from their battle zones.
Thank you! And I very much agree 🙁
This one really tells a story and it could almost be a song. Thanks for sharing! I am a Creative Life Coach and have a poetry blog in case you have time to read? http://www.peacockpoetryblog.wordpress.com and I am also on Instagram as #coachingcreatively, let’s follow each other if you use this medium? Have a good day? Sam 🙂
Thanks for giving this a read – glad you enjoyed it! Nice poetry blog
Thank you