"Always Heroes"

Such a shame
That we are living
In a land fit for heroes.
Such a shame...
As you are all dead
And you weren't heroes
When you came back alive.
The 'lucky ones'
Who were maimed
In the war to end all wars
Only to see your own sons
Take the place
Of your First world War mates
Piling up on the battlefield
Canvass covered mortuary floors.
But at least that was the war
That ended all wars.
Peace in our time
Since 1945.
Well that's if you
Forget about
Korea, the Suez & the Falklands
Kosova, Iraq & Iran
Ireland, Cyprus, Vietnam
Vietnam & Afghanistan...
1914. A hundred years on.
In a land fit for heroes.
As long as you
Dig deep in your pocket
To the fill the rattling charity tin
Which is how this Government sees fit
To help their modern heroes.

Dulwich Poet 16th August 2014

(This is one about my uneasiness about how we are looking back at the start of the First world War, in 1914, pretending there has been major peace since 1945, and how we now honour the millions who died as 'heroes' but they were not treated as such, when they came home...all of this is my interpretation....)