Never Gone

• Braydon Mengel, Grade 10
• Poetry
• 2013

At first it seemed fun, almost a game,
We thought we’d return with glory and fame.
After the training we were sent out at last,
Our minds had never been changed so fast.

The endless gunfire tormented our ears,
The futile screams fueled our fears.
Always crawling in the constant rain,
Our limbs burned hot with endless pain.

Then my best mate, in all of his prime,
Was taken there, long before his time.
And even now I hear the screams,
As one by one I lost my team.

Now I stand and remember their pain,
I wonder, really, what did we gain?
We won freedom and pride, on that you can bet,
But for all our mates lost: “Lest We Forget”