6PS Poetry 2016-2017

Class 6PS
2016-17
First World War Poems

No-man’s Land

No-man's land stood still,
scattered with barbed wire.

Lonely and barren,
silent and still no-man's land,
is the home to no man but the dead.

Place of safety,mud and war.
Stench filled,mud filled place of blood.

Gas.
Gas searching is out seeping through the cracks.

Retching,coughing and screaming fills the air.

Silence,peaceful,cold and bright.
Lying ,silent motionless.
Dead.
Wet muddy cold too.

This is our place of safety,our home.

Panic in the atmosphere.
Cold and lifeless eyes.

Petrified soldiers clinging onto their lives.
We all live in fear of death and gas.

This is not fun not joyful or happy this is war sad and lonely.

Edward Baker

Morning Hate

Fenton Ballance

As we walk into the trenches, I see no benches.
The next thing I see is that it’s not very nice,
But one things for sure, there are lots of lice.

As I light my cigarette, I know it's not stand-to yet.
When the officer walks in, I'm opening my food tin.
The morning hate begins, I shoot down pigeons.

Rats climb over my feet, then I thought it started to sleet.
No man's land covered in mud, all of a sudden there is a loud thud.

When we get to rest, you write a letter which is quite a test.

No Mercy

Their rifles ready.
Their bayonets fixed.

Eyes full with fear.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them.

Then in minutes,
Dead,dead.

The barbed wire catching men,
Like mice in a trap.

Then, the gas comes.
Swimming, sniffing, finding.
Men frozen from the haunting screams.
Soldiers lying motionless,

Dead, dead.

Blood scattered in the trenches.
Snipers waiting patiently.
Aiming, and then shooting.
A sea of bodies,
Dead,dead

By Danyal

The War Rages On

Looking out into the bare wastelands of no man's land
I could see hundreds of dead bodies surrounding me
All I wanted was this war to stop and have a cup of tea
With mud filled boots I could smell the dead rotting bodies as I walk over

them
Suddenly everything went back into motion I could hear the cracks of the

rifles
And the bangs from tank shells all around me

By Jack Birgani

Gas Attack

Mud up to your knees,
I hope you rest in peace.

All peaceful at first,
Then there was a burst.

Panic in the atmosphere,
Gas has appeared.
Ear piercing sound,
It is the gas rattle!

We then know the battle has commenced!
We have been the gas is very dense.

Blood scattered,
It is all that matters.
Barbed wire waiting for its prey,
Once he gets caught all he can do is lay.

Pushing and shoving,
Wishing for the loving.

Safe and sound.

By Phoebe Borradaile

On Goes the War

Scuttling rats around your feet,
Listening to the deafening silence,

Resting in your dugouts writing,
To your Mothers, sisters and brothers,

On goes the war.

Looking out into no-man’s-land,
Seeing bodies from the last attach,

Lying sprawled over the land,
Some are not from your side,

On goes the war.

As night falls over the trenches,
We sneak out to spy,
Only to walk into,

Some from the enemy side,
On goes the war.

We stop and stare at each other,
Knowing not to fire at them,
We walk away quietly,

Back into our own home trench,
On goes the war.

As we get ready for morning stand-to,
And starting our “morning-hate”,
We load up our rifles,
And wait. Wait. Wait,
On goes the war.

When we start our truce for breakfast,
And drink rum to warm us up,

We march out into the front lines,
Until our time is up,
On goes the war

By
Shana Buswell.

Spring Trenches

As the poppies grow
What do they know

Go back in Time to hear my rhyme

At first their was a big burst

As families lose their men
What could be under that underground den

As women make their own army
“Oh please give us some barley”

Look at the Hun
So why can't we have some fun

By Sam Fleming

In the Trench

I can see
Barbed wire curled up like snakes
Waiting for someone who it makes,

It’s victim.

I'm scratching to get rid of the lice
While soldiers try to kill all of the mice,

It's gone.

Gas! Gas! It is coming
While I was gently humming
It was what I had been dreading

It is now heading,
It's here.

I can see the barren waste land
I reach for my brothers hand
I run
With my gun,
Hurrying

Suddenly I feel cold
Lifeless and old.
I am falling

I feel like am infinitely falling
Now motionless.

Lice are eating me
Rats are ripping me

Eating me
Now I'm dead.

By Luke Goding

In the Trenches

Mud.sandbags,
Held with wooden structures,
Bodies lying on the ground,

Covered with blood,

Soldiers marching in the battle ground,
Getting hurt,

Shooting at their enemy,
Blinded by the gas,

Blood oozing out of the soldiers,
Being blinded by the gas,
Covered in bandages,
Vomiting from the gas,

Bombs exploding frantically,
Rifles exploding at the enemy,

Machine guns being fired,
People getting shell shock by all the noise,

By Tahmina

Applying safety but as well DEATH
You are trying to get some sleep
But you can't cause you are counting sheep
When you are running onto the battlefield
You hope you don't get hit by lightning

As you come back all depressed
You have a few cups of beer

And all of a sudden you are happy again
But when you go back to sleep
All you can here is a big BOOM!

Daniel Ingham

Buried Alive.​

Waiting,
I watched over the barren land inbetween us

I lay in a sea of mud,
Listening to the chattering of the machine guns

And waiting to be slaughtered.

Listening
I hear the Hun approaching.
What are they coming for?
I peer through the periscope
And see the gas spilling from the canister.
Then I hear the gas rattle.

Scrambling
I frantically run to my gas mask.
Men are screaming, some crying.

I am suddenly blinded
And nearing death.

Dropping
I find myself on my knees
coughing, vomiting, choking
My last sights is the Germans laughing intimidatingly
I am now lying under a bed of dirt and my own gravestone
I have been buried alive.

Joe Johnston

Why? Why?

Why? Why die?
Your country is calling you lads,

Go and fight,
Why? Why die?

Why? Why die?
The deafening gunshots ring throughout the trench,

One by one men drop and die,
Destroying their family
Why? Why die?

Why?Why die?
The deadly gas sinks into the trench,

Devouring everything in its path,
Men running,falling,choking,dieng,

Why? Why die?

Why? Why die?
Dead body's motionless,
Waiting for their trip to heaven,
No man's land is a dead man's land,

Why? Why die?

Why? Why die?
Family get the news home of a death,
Never to see their loved ones again,

Others still fighting to the death,
Why? Why die?

Why? Why die?
Bombs going off in surprise,

Ripping bodies apart,
Limb by limb,

Soldiers cry as they see their friends die,
Why? Why die?

Victoria

WAR IS NOT FUN

The smell of gunpowder blocked my nose as I heard the shouts of
soldiers deafening my ears.

I see my friends lying there,motionless…
I'm cold, scared and lonely war is not fun.

Gas gas all around me this is the end I know it is.
It's searching for me,seeking me out,eyes are stinging lungs are

burning.

Rats as big as cats scrambling across the floor.
Can't get any sleep with the shells exploding outside.

Can't run or hide,I'm cold I want to go home.
Mud up to my knees, and panic all around me.

War is not fun…

German soldiers all around us, we can not run we cannot hide.
Why pray? Who too? Is it the end? Will I survive?

I listen.
I hear the Hun approaching.
Footsteps getting louder, oh when will it end.

Heather

GAS.
Between the little talk it is silent,
Between our sleep we are bombarded.
We are just waiting for a bomb to hit us,
We are just waiting for a hush in our lives.

Clumsily we fit on our masks,
Leaving just enough time to run.

Listen to the gas rattle,
Hearing the deafening sound of our deaths.

Denice gas seeking us out,
Gobbling up the tangled wire amongst the mud field.

The heavy gas swallowing everything in its way,
The unstoppable monster eating us alive.

We are waiting for the killer cloud to leave,
Waiting for it to die. The

Huns have came to kill us,
Do the Huns have come to die.

Overwhelmed with panic,
Overwhelmed with fear.
Walking with my rifle at the ready,
I see the monster has caught too many innocent soldiers.

The monster dies away.
The monster dies away.

I walk past dying soldiers, By Chloe Lum.
They are vomiting violently.
Their lifeless eyes stare at me,

They are dead.

Trenches

Cameron Martin

As they were horrible they were dirty
All of them the same for all thirty

As we waited for them to come we took a sip of rum

Our bodies were tired all through out
Still the sergeant had to shout

The same would happen in our trench
Although I can't cope with all the stench

It was a treacherous trench
Nowhere to sit not even a bench
So we lay there trying to sleep

But I just can't count sheep

Gas Mask

by Peter McNally.

It's still and silent.
The black misty gas which is drowning me in no man’s land.

The gas is pulling me down.
Then I'm gasping for some clean air.
I felt the vomit coursing through my body and up to my mouth.
My eyes burning wildly in their sockets.
My heart is pounding like a drum ready to burst.
As I struggle to stand on my aching bones.

I try to walk back to camp.
But the gas rattle is pulling me down to the ground.

But that still doesn't put me down.
I then scream in wide eye when I see the captain throwing up his lungs.

But that still doesn't put me down.
I then scramble across the muddy earth.
I was very stupid for not bringing my gas mask

Luckily I'm out of the gas.
But more German soldiers are throwing green gas.

It smells like human hell.
So I run back to camp.

And I will never forget it again.

Death

Soldiers eyes filled with tears,
as the gas comes closing in.

Taking us one by one,
dropping, falling, running.
Nobody knows who's next.

Seeking its prey,
ready to strike.
Those who live,

live in pride.

Rifles ready to fire,
to kill yet another man.
Barbed wire watching menacingly,

waiting to take a life.
Those who live,
live in pride.

Bodies motionless,
waiting for their life in heaven.

News coming home,
families destroyed.
Heartbroken and overwhelmed.

Those who live,
live in pride.

Home,
Family,

Madison Nash

Death

The smell of dampness,an eerie darkness.
The trudging of soldiers feet through squelching mud.
I could hear the deafening noise of the bombs and guns.
I could see soldiers suffering with bullets piercing through their skin.

When most of the horrendous noises died down,
You could hear the rats scurrying along the sand bags.

The smell of the gas was deathly
If you take your mask off you will end up horrifically sick.
Hearing the racket of people throwing up their guts were hideous.

You said you needed us,and now we're done.

Summer Owen-Smith

Fellow Soldiers
All us fellow soldiers,
Barely treated with any care.
Comrades lying dead,
Or beyond physical repair.

The dreaded barbed wire waits patiently,
For its morning prey.

As we awake in slimy dugouts,
We know this could be our ending day.

As we look through dirty periscopes,
Upon the morning rise.

We see this dreaded killing cloud,
Coming at us at an incredible size.

With ghastly shells,
Exploding with a terrifying sound.

Making us,
So overpoweringly fear-bound.

Tortured creatures,
Like tics and rats and lice.

Have removed,
Of our comfort a very fair slice.

Overall,
Of the shells and tics that bite.

The war overall,
“It ain't a pleasant sight.

Felix Panayi

Gas! Gas!

Us soldiers were drinking,singing and writing,
Under the sun scorching and bright,
When all of a sudden panic strikes,

After “Gas Gas” was cried after a sight.

With bayonets fixed and rifles aimed,
We looked across No Man's Land,

The barbed wire twisting and twirling,
Hoping to capture ones hands.

But after a while we begin to see,
A thick cloud that's rolling along,
Advancing towards us awfully quickly,

Us living won't be for long.

There was utter chaos in the trench,
Soldiers running, falling, crying,

As the gas enveloped them mercilessly,
Everyone suffering or dying.

I'm running with the pack as fast as I can,
Praying that the gas won't catch me,
Until finally I reach a reserve trench,
Gasping and hardly able to see.

The unlucky ones are scattered across the floor,
Their eyes staring towards the sky,
Their blood smeared in the mood,
As others like me begin to cry.

Aymee Patel

The attack

The bayonets were fixed,
The gas masks were on,
The rifles were ready,

And there they were,
An army of stampeding figures,raced over no-man's land,

The thick mud was oozing beneath their feet.

Then they started falling,
One by one they fell to the ground,

Ending their early life,
Never coming back to the real world,
The whistle blew and men sprinted over the top,
Running through pools of blood and empty puddles,
Risking their own lives for their country.

By Mattie Potts.

Trapped in war

The din of the guns shooting humanity
Knowing death will come in any moment
Heaps of dead men increasing I realised I'm going to be one of them

I'm trapped in war

The overwhelming fear of every soldier
The enemies attacking and danger is here
Running for my life every single soldier is staring at me

I m trapped in war

I'm now wounded and this is the end of my life
As pearls of sadness dropped, I realised I'm lily livered

I'm dead.
Dead

By Salima Rahman

Trenches

The trenches are for safety but lots of soldiers die because of them,
There is no point saying it’s very nice at war.
You probably won't come back alive,

You might get shot or get your arms or legs blown off by a mine.
You would not die for the fat civilians not going to war,
You would die to help save your country.

Boots sodden with mud and water,
Mud deep enough to drown in,
Rats running all over your feet,
Live eating you alive,
Mud and water rotting your feet

By Thomas

Misery and Hard Work.

WW1 trenches weren't all fun and games,
Their muddy and unpleasant conditions, didn’t please the soldiers at all.

Even though it’s a place of safety, no one was safe there
A gas attack could happen at any time, and the gas would sink down the sides of

the trench.
Rotten corpses would lie motionless, scattered around.

WW1 trenches weren’t all fun and games,
Working through the night, the soldiers would be exhausted.
Sentry duty would keep them up for at least two hours, and sleeping was a

serious crime.
The next morning the usual would happen, ‘Stand to!’, ‘The Morning Hate’ and

breakfast.
Only after inspections would the soldiers get any rest.

WW1 trenches weren’t all fun and games,
No Man’s Land would stay lonely,
Until a side tried to advance.

They would be stopped by the enemy gunfire,
And the barbed wire, twisting and turning throughout the barren land.

WW1 trenches weren’t all fun and games,
Panic would quickly spread around the trench.

Soldiers were petrified and frozen with fear,
Not a day would go by when the soldiers felt like,
They were being put through the slowest torture.

WW1 trenches were mostly misery and hard work.

By Sophie Tucker

It Is No Pretty Sight

Rats, mud and blood
Making my eyes cry from the stench,
Watching soldiers scream, bleed, die and wretch

It is no pretty sight

We are all tired
But far too ill to sleep
There is no time for our eyes to close

It is no pretty sight

All we can do is wait
For the gas that blinds
And the grenades that explode

It is no pretty sight

Feet are getting purple,
Stink like old baked beans
It’s all the cold, wet mud

It is no pretty sight

Rifles are pointed ready
Grenades in steady hands,
Soldiers with hands over ears

It is no pretty sight

Sometimes we read and write,
Have time to eat and drink

Some people receive letters from home,
But it is still no pretty sight

By Alice Horton

Living in a trench
Rifles at the ready
Bodies lying still
Keeping an eye on No Man's Land

On the fire step
Soldiers ready shoot
Barbed wire all around
Gas searching everywhere

Flairs go off for light
Diseases always spreading
It's a place to keep you safe

Yet people die in them

Gas Masks ready to use
Everyone is in a panic
Lonely in a dug out
Protected by the walls

There is sometimes boredom
Filled to their knees in mud

People run and Flee

Bringing bodies in
Terrified and scared to die
Blood scattered all around
All the Germans surrender

Phoebe Waters

Gas Attack

The sun shining down
There was hardly a sound

Apart from quiet talk
And the sound of a cork

With mud up to our knees
We listen to the pleads
Nobody having fun
Nothing to be done

There was a shout of Gas
And then a huge mass

Of people crowding together
Trying not to die forever

Struggling with our masks
We wish there were tasks
That we could do instead
Of very nearly being dead

In comes a yellow killer cloud
I instantly see it mouthed
What shall we do?
Soon it will be our cue

It's deadly tendrils searching me
Nothing I can do but see

It creep through the wire fence
I do not know how dense
This killer cloud will be.

It comes rolling in
Nerves have we heard such a din

Of the German soldiers behind
I don't know why I signed

That dreaded recruitment form

Evie Whatling

Fear of Death

Shooting, reloading, repeat
Rifles at the ready, bayonets fixed
Soldiers shouting, bombs exploding

Tranquil turns to torture
Fear of death wrapping around you.

Lifeless bodies scattered on the ground
Pools of green froth forming beside them
Masks don't work when they are needed
The dreaded cloud searches for another victim

Fear of death circles around you.

A place of safety, yet death is near
Rats and disease up to your waist
Panic fills up the so-called shelter
Blood splats stain the muddy ground
Fear of death closing in around you.

Lone stumps and wire ready to catch
Shell holes are the only cover
Enemy line so far, yet so close

Isolated and deserted except from the snipers
Fear of death coiling around you.

By Inès