“War” is an Australian poem written by Mary Gilmore (1865-1962) about the trauma of World War 1. The poem touches on the horrors of war and deals with the loss of innocence
Out in the dust he lies:
Flies in his mouth,
Ants in his eyes …
I stood at the door
Where he went out;
Full-grown man,
Ruddy and stout;
I heard the march
Of the trampling feet,
Slow and steady
Come down the street;
The beat of the drum
Was clods on the heart,
For all that the regiment
Looked so smart!
I heard the crackle
Of hasty cheers
Run like the breaking
Of unshed tears,
And just for a moment,
As he went by,
I had sight of his face,
And the flash of his eye.
He died a hero’s death,
They said,
When they came to tell me
My boy was dead;
But out in the street
A dead dog lies;
Flies in his mouth,
Ants in his eyes.
About the Author
See our page on Mary Gilmore. Includes a linked list of all her writing available on our website.