Prose & Poetry - War Poetry of S J Robinson - Don't Judge Us
Reproduced within this area
of the site are present-day First World War poems written by S. J. Robinson.
Click here for
an introduction to the poems.
Don't Judge Us
How close would you come to breaking
In conditions we have survived -
Defending, attacking and killing all hope
Losing friends, taking enemies lives
Have you ever slept beside a dead friend?
Been flung about by a blast?
Sent out to the wire on nightly patrol
When each movement could be your last?
Have you ever lain out in No-man's land
With a wound and in terrible pain
Just waited and wondered and shivering and cold
All your rescuers slayed in the rain?
Have you trudged through water that's up past
your knees?
Felt the rats that will play in your hair?
Heard a man die of wounds when you can't fetch him back
Ever seen that e'er-pleading stare?
Experienced 'trench humour' when all else is
lost
Had a mate blown to bits by your side
But, no, We're neurasthenic, and you all know best
And would all our memory deride
'Strafing' is attacking ground troops by machine guns fired from low-flying aircraft.
- Did you know?
