Pride, Honour, and Courage (Collaboration With Valedico)

by Italian Stallion   Feb 26, 2009


He pressed his lips against home soil,
then kissed his lover, and cradled his gun.

(He didn't read the small print,
when he signed the forms,
He'd marry his girl if he wasn't engaged,
to a lost cause.)

He held his rifle with more pride,
than he held his sweetheart at night.
Marched in unison in naivety,
marched in legions of loyalty
into an August sunset.

Perfectly poised and sure of himself
travelling afar, amidst the depths.

(Pondering upon what's to come,
he gently weeps in disbelief,
left his girl back at home;
on a boat he's now alone.)

Pride, honor, and courage
he'll shortly have to display.
Reflecting upon his thoughts,
reflecting within his heart
to foreign lands he will chart.

He tested his wits against the trenches;
rats ran amok, foulest of vermin.

(Saw her face in the eyeless sockets,
of the manifest of machine gun fire,
the blisters of the mustard gas,
through the visor of the mask.)

Pride: puncturing a man's abdomen,
with a rusted bayonet,
Honor: collapsing among the corpses,
alive, upon the throes of death,
Courage: cowardice, kissing enemy soil.

"Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time"
his 1st Lieutenant had shouted in the mist of the battle.

(Blackened souls upon the ground,
bullets flying from left to right,
his fellow soldiers fall to cover,
a near miss to his head, he fell to.)

Entrapped within the depths,
he finds his way to freedom.
Resolute amongst the rumpus,
vigorously running to safety,
images of her, keeping him alive.

He ran the opposite way of protection,
forgetting the direction which he started,
his eyes widened as tears fell to the ground
as hails of bullets tore through his body,
face down in the mud, he cradled his gun,
wishing it were her...

© Copyright 2009 By: Italian Stallion and Valedico

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Collaboration with Valedico

Valedico: http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/author.html?id=362484
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Latest Comments

  • 15 years ago

    by Rolo

    Depressing. Though very interesting; it held my attention throughout the read. I loved the imagery I was able to take away from each stanza...it really gave it so much more meaning. It was like hearing a narrative of a soldier's forgotten war story. His choice of war over love and all of the intimate battles in between. I really enjoyed this. I think it's very well written and was carefully thought out. 5/5.

    -Rolo

  • 15 years ago

    by Nawa

    Wow, this poem was truly amazing !! You both have done a spectacular job.

    The beginning was great, the words captured my heart from the start. Then, the rest flowed wonderfully with great imagery.
    One of my favorite stanzas :
    "He held his rifle with more pride,
    than he held his sweetheart at night.
    Marched in unison in naivety,
    marched in legions of loyalty
    into an August sunset."
    It carries a great meaning and combined all sorts of feelings that a soldier have or represent. The pride of protecting his country, the love for his sweetheart, the unity among his fellow soldiers and the loyalty he owes to himself and the country.

    I also loved how you set the scene throughout the poem "Blackened souls upon the ground,
    bullets flying from left to right,
    his fellow soldiers fall to cover,
    a near miss to his head, he fell to"
    It makes the poem alive in the readers' minds and not only thier hearts.

    At last, the ending brought tears to my eyes as it was so perfectly written and very sad how he holds his gun and wishes it was his beloved.

    It is def. one of the best poems I have read and one of my favorites. Great work again.

  • 15 years ago

    by Jordan W

    Wow this collaboration blew me away. I know im repetitive in saying how powerful all this is but really... you are an amazing poet. I especially like this due to its lack of rhyming, this just seemed to hit home more akin to my style so I could relate better.
    This poem shows the true colours of war and the emotions sewn into it.

    great poem
    goodjob both of you =]
    5/5

  • 15 years ago

    by umbra

    I really enjoyed this poem! Not only did you two paint a superb picture for all to marvel at, but there was an actual meaning behind it. This poem shows the personal cost of war that is so often forgotten. A masterful mix of imagery and metaphor!

  • 15 years ago

    by Michael D Nalley

    I have not read a poem like this ...you both did a great job

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