Over The Top

In the trenches
Loading rifles ready to fight.
Wishing friends all the best
 I may not see them again.

In the trenches
Holding wire cutters tight.
Drinking my last sip of rum,
watching  rats scurrying by.
Will I live or will I die?

The whistle blows,
we all pile over
Into no-man's land.
My heart is pumping,
my friend is dying.
Death has appeared
a death to end all deaths.

In the trenches
Ready to fight , saying goodbye.

Will I live or will I die?
Over the top.

Gavin Hill