The War Poet (Wilfred Owen)
by cricketjeff on May 1, 2008. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
He ripped away the patriotic fog
By painting scenes of brutal blood and gore,
Of tedium and unrelenting slog,
To show the world the horrors of the war.
He learned from all the greatest of the age,
Sassoon would coax from him his finest art.
The voice that told a generation’s rage,
With passions stolen from a broken heart.
When all was won and death still greater waste,
He gave his life as millions had before.
The news gave peace a lasting bitter taste
And emphasised the dreadful final score.
There is no sweet and fitting way to die,
His verses show the world that greatest lie.
English