[Barry W. Metcalf]

The radio blared the news out loud:
"TWENTY POLICE ATTACKED BY CROWD
OF DEMONSTRATORS, OUT OF HAND,
ALL TO THE TUNE OF A TEENAGE BAND!"
It made me think how far we've come
When we can hear this and not feel numb,
With fear for ideals and our lives
As violence, of our rights deprives.
"YESTERDAY, IN AN IRAQI TOWN,
SEVERAL DIGGERS WERE SHOT DOWN!"
So who cares? The grief, who shares?
Conscience pricked, but hardened, bears
The guilt of a million accusing stares.
But the mind is closed, it's the lips that sneer
And say blandly, "Lest we forget."

I read a news report in bed:
"MOTORIST DEAD - SHOT IN HEAD."
But I thought of soldiers who were dead,
Who'd given their lives for peace, instead.
I thought of grasses, coloured blood-red,
Of a million tears of sorrow, shed.
And as these thoughts raced through my head
I knew I'd forgotten what I'd read.
A vision so vivid formed in the room -
There were soldiers, a beach, and in the gloom
I saw a flash, heard a boom,
And I knew that many would meet their doom;
But that didn't stop them; they kept on coming;
And some were dead, some still running
As the vision faded right from sight.
And I started to shake with fear and fright:
And a voice said, "Lest we forget!"

"PEACE TALKS FALTER!" the headlines blared.
Through a mist of tears I stood and stared
And wondered what could have gone wrong.
To my mind there came a chorus of song
As soldiers returned, been away so long,
And their voices of victory sounded so strong
For the peace that they had so dearly won;
And they knew then that war was all done.
Then I think of soldiers in the enemy's reach,
Who fight each day so that I can still teach
The people of tomorrow, the kids of today,
The meaning of the term: "ANZAC DAY"

[spinx]

very moving

Very goood ummm i hope u dont mind but its soo good im gonna use it in a speech well done

[tathi]

i really enjoyed it, great work

that helped me a lot with my essay. Thanks a lot.

i really liked your storiy,good job

[Corneac]

Wow, your writing seems to get a strange amount of unregistered posts. This was fantatic, really, great flow, with the plethora of end rhymes, you'd think it would jar, but it didn't. As an Australian, this definitely hit soemthing, the Cronulla riots, the anger, the violence, all our youth. Great use of "headlines" so to speak. Provocative and hard-hitting, awesome.