A Sestina for the Great War

As part of an exercise for our writer's circle at work, we're supposed to write something out of our normal genre. I've chosen to do a sestina (thanks Avni!) about World War I. Here it is!

A Sestina for the Great War

In their trench, they’ve got empty canteens and eager minds.

They’ve got thirty-two rancid socks and sullen faces masked with dirt.

They’ve shared their ‘could have beens’, family dreams, and hopes

for common ground. They’ve damned their captain and saluted their enemy.

By the by, their eyes all burned the same, their myriad veins wept,

And they sang love songs to a thousand enemies with rusting rifles.

Soon their wives will answer their doors and receive those rifles,

And we’ll throw a parade in the streets and commend their minds

And rusty guns to empty graves. And send more to sing and weep --

to wear rancid socks and rusty rifles. We’ll mask their faces with dirt.

For what good is an honor parade if we cannot redeem our enemy;

If boys with dreams and ‘could have beens’ can’t share their hopes?

So hand me my rusty rifle, and mask my sullen face with dirt;

I’ve got an eager mind and a box of love songs for my enemy,

And oh how my heart weeps to share the depths of my hope.