deepundergroundpoetry.com
The Light Infantry
Upon the Somme, on this here day
There lives a family of men, each who weigh
21 grams of spirit or matter
Which one's which is for them to say
To my young eyes, their life seemed grey
And to their eyes now, I hear you pray
I hope our lives are seen in colour
To capture the wars from which we now suffer
And to show them how far we've come, oh father
21 grams of spirit or matter
They stand depressed, not for their fate
Nor for their sudden shift in weight
The truth behind their saddened eyes
Is because they've been, and done, and died
And they're now being joined by boys, or rather
21 grams of spirit or matter
And so they mourn us here today
Their suffering over, ours still on the way
They know only hardship and pain and loss
Their only possession, a small white cross
Lest we forget the screams as they gather
21 grams of spirit or matter[/font]
There lives a family of men, each who weigh
21 grams of spirit or matter
Which one's which is for them to say
To my young eyes, their life seemed grey
And to their eyes now, I hear you pray
I hope our lives are seen in colour
To capture the wars from which we now suffer
And to show them how far we've come, oh father
21 grams of spirit or matter
They stand depressed, not for their fate
Nor for their sudden shift in weight
The truth behind their saddened eyes
Is because they've been, and done, and died
And they're now being joined by boys, or rather
21 grams of spirit or matter
And so they mourn us here today
Their suffering over, ours still on the way
They know only hardship and pain and loss
Their only possession, a small white cross
Lest we forget the screams as they gather
21 grams of spirit or matter[/font]
Published 1st Nov 2009
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Anonymous
1st Nov 2009 4:15am
This piece was stunningly beautiful. The 21 grams allusion was a master-stroke; I don't think I've seen it before in war poetry, and yet the two really should go hand in hand.
1st Nov 2009 10:59am
1st Nov 2009 5:45pm
Personally speaking I don't believe in the 21 grams theory but I really liked the way you used that concept in this poem of yours...
"They know only hardship and pain and loss
Their only possession, a small white cross"
I don't know but these lines really touched me...
Keep it up!:)
2nd Nov 2009 2:10am
Thank you so much for your comments :) tbh i don't really believe in that theory either lol, just thought it was a nice concept to use in a poem about war, glad you liked it :)
5th Nov 2009 2:51pm
i was following the comments between you and jack so I came to read....I love the piece by the way, and am curious enough to appear daft....what is the 21 gram theory? Is it the honor paid to the dead at a military funeral?
5th Nov 2009 5:29pm
Thank you for your comment :) The 21 gram theory is the theory that when you die you lose 21 grams of weight and this is how much they say your soul, or spirit, is meant to weigh. I'm not really religious at all, like i said i just thought it was an interesting concept to use in this piece lol. Hope that clears things up for you :D
