The Hero
POETRY FORMAT, 11 Aug 2014
Felix Pollak – TRANSCEND Media Service
I did not want to go
They inducted me.
I did not want to die
They called me yellow.
I tried to run away
They court martialed me.
I did not shoot
They said I had no guts.
I cried in pain
They carried me to safety
In safety I died.
They blew taps over me
They crossed out my name
And buried me under a cross.
They made a speech in my home town
I was unable to call them liars.
They said I gave my life
I had struggled to keep it.
They said I set an example
I had tried to run.
They said they were proud of me
I had been ashamed of them.
They said my mother should be proud
My mother cried.
I wanted to live
They called me a coward.
I died a coward
They called me a hero.
___________________________
Felix Pollak (1909–1987).
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 11 Aug 2014.
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