Kokoda

• Olivia Thorpe, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2014

Long ago in the Forties, the Soldiers had been told
To go and fight for freedom, for the world was put on hold
Like the Anzacs who went before us, we answered the call to go
Waving goodbye to loved ones, if we’d return we’d never know.
Where was this place Kokoda? Never heard of it before
With our slouch hat and our rifle, we stepped out onto the shore
The jungle hid the daylight, in this mountainous terrain
With the mosquitoes and the leeches, we pressed on in the rain.
Down into the valleys, we faced the mighty foe
They never gave an inch of dirt, the fighting was so slow
My brothers died around me, the bullets cracked and thud
No sanctuary in this jungle, we lied in blood-soaked mud.
We few, the weak and weary, struggled to climb the track
Fighting for our country, refusing to turn back
This is where we turned the tide, drove them back from whence they came
We fought with Anzac courage, but we’ll never be the same.
The battle is now over, back home again at last
Never forgetting my fallen Comrades, we must never forget the past.