Saturday 18 May 2024

18th May 2024

 



chill morning

a cat strolls through the garden

dog's alarm


© Rachel Green May 2024


Private Gemmel, Royal Highlanders vet

identified by DNA and laid

to rest in a military grave, yet

his century companion who paid

a similar price, remains still un-named

so many were the missing dead that year.

A farmer ploughed his field in Cuinchy, France

and found the bodies lost and loved so dear,

A thistle brooch and scrap of tartan left

upon two skeletons in yellowed clay

and, nearby, a service-issued spoon heft

upwards by a humble famer's labour.

A hope they identify his neighbour.


© Rachel Green May 2024


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