Form B104-82

by Liam Canniffe

Form B104-82 arrives,
Copperplated hand, black edged,
Words to end all words
Are starkly written therein,
Private John Watson, alas,
Was killed in action.
Regret expressed and sorrow too,
Faint hope now gone that,
Despite all, he would return.
Family join other like-bereaved
Along the street, like other streets,
Shuttered, blind from weeping,
Light dimmed, a shadow descends:
Dark angel had passed over,

Reproduced with the kind permission of the author. This poem features in the collection No Memorials – The Forgotten Irish (2015) by Liam Canniffe.