Missing Faces.

[Mal McLean]

Third place - The Rolf Boldrewood awards - Dubbo 3/11/12.

MISSING FACES.
(For the Ghost Platoon.)


They march in solemn silence like stiff crosses down the road
for each is lost in memories where sacrifices flowed
and in the battered remnants of formations long undone
they see the missing faces of a father or a son.
Missing fathers, missing sons
and the ranks are growing thinner since the ceasing of the guns.

They tramp behind the colours and the standards proudly flown
of battlefields and honours and mottoes boldly sewn
are testaments to each and all the comrades they have lost
and somewhere in the counting, they will count the awful cost.
Counting fathers, counting sons
and the ranks are growing thinner since the ceasing of the guns.

The march becomes a shuffle at the stretching of the years,
while trembling hands and faces are concealing grievous fears
and as the shortened column does its best to march with pride,
the numbers of the living are now less than those who died.
Dying fathers, dying sons
and the ranks are growing thinner since the ceasing of the guns.

At last, the final honours are the standards all alone,
the bugles softly calling in a fading plaintiff tone.
Last Post will not be answered by a sad Reveille’s fall,
the soldiers are all fading and they cannot heed the call.
Fading fathers, fading sons
and the ranks are growing thinner since the ceasing of the guns.

Then place upon the coffins as we drape them with the cross
the blood red sacred poppies that are signal of the loss.
Another name is added to the growing human toll
and yet another soldier is marked absent on the roll.
Absent fathers, absent sons,
and the ranks are now concluding since the ceasing of the guns.

So stand in solemn silence like white crosses on the green
and keep alive the memories where sacrifice has been.
Mark well the battered features of old soldiers now undone
and see in them the faces of a father or a son.
Missing fathers, missing sons
in the long list of the missing since the ceasing of the guns.

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©MM Beveridge August 2012.
additional verse (penultimate stanza)added 26/10/12

[Heather]

I always look forward to reading your poems Mal and this one is great. I love the repeats - it is very very solemn. Congratulations on your award - really well done. I'm gonna read it again.

Heather

[Neville Briggs]

Well done Mal. Congratulations on your awards. This one sounds to me like a good example of the traditional ballad style. And ballad still works in contemporary poetry I reckon.

[Maureen K Clifford]

You WERE on a roll Once again a faultless piece of work with great depth and compassion. Beautiful though sad and the repetition works extremely effectively in this.

I would have liked to have seen the refrain separated from the verse but that is a personal thing, nothing wrong with it where it is but just feel - my opinion only - it would have made the poem visually stronger to have it separate. Would make people pause in the reading and add emphasis to the feeling behind the words

Cheers

Maureen

[william williams]

rom Bill The old Battler


Those words say more to the heart with the feelings that many people have

Bill Williams and congrat mate

[Mal McLean]

Thanks all!

I am kind of savage though because now I have to write a new poem for the Blackened Billy!

[manfredvijars]

Brilliant Mal - Brilliant!! ...