Shell Great War Poetry Competition

Soldier I am beneath your feet, All around you. I protect you from the darkness. I am the darkness. I do not claim to be perfect, I am not a hero. I fight. I am a soldier, Protector of liberty Here to keep you free, Here to make them leave you be. I am a soldier, Destroyer of life Creator of strife. The man children fear. But this is how it has to be. I must fight. For you. I don’t want to do this. To die Just a pawn in their game. Just another man slain. There are no winners in this Just survivors. But why should I? Why should I survive? Why shouldn’t he survive? Is he not just a man like me? Does he not also have family? A mother waiting terrified. I wonder how hard she will cry. I am nothing but another soldier So why?

By Joseph Osei