Futile
Eleana Turner Hurd
Eager, enthusiastic, almost euphoric,
Our boys set off for battle.
Kitchener’s message rang in their ears,
But soon the cheerful, chirpy faces
Were covered in tears.
Pleased and proud parents waved their goodbyes;
Family and friends cheered and applauded.
No one knew how quickly it would all turn to sighs,
No one anticipated how many would die.
Waging the worst war,
Innocent lives were devastated and destroyed.
Unimaginable horrors, the traumas of the trenches,
Grizzly gas attacks.
Nothing prepared them for what they saw,
Hundreds dying, every day, every second.
Few remained untouched by loss.
All hope gone; grief stricken, heartbroken.
Why do men continue with futile wars?