MY DEAR WIFE

MY DEAR WIFE

Lew Gentilella

United Kingdom

Stuck in this God forsaken trench

With its God-awful stench,

Freezing cold,

Shivering,

Extremities numb,

Feet soaking wet,

Rotting.

With only my fellow soldiers and the rats for companionship,

Letters are my comfort upon a cold dark night,

Letters from the love of my life,

My dear wife.

A delicate snowflake floats gracefully upon the end of my rifle,

Its beauty reminds me of her,

I reminisce of better days,

Days spent with the love of my life,

My dear wife.

Suddenly, a deafening bang!

Dazed, disorientated, and confused,

A rabbit in headlights,

Scared stiff,

All around me I see bullets flying,

Grown men crying,

Planes dropping bombs overhead,

Dead bodies lying motionless in the boggy mud

Drowning in puddles of blood.

Hit by a bullet to the chest,

I fall to my knees

Struggling to breathe,

Lungs filling with blood,

Gasping for air.

In my final moments of life

All I can think about is

My dear wife.