Mary Anne

by DAVID V. APPLEYARD

There shines a light up on a hill
Transmitting fire through midnight chill,
And the sounds of marching soldiers linger still.
No one moves now — no one dare,
Some smoky mist winds through the air
Where frightened men seek someone else to kill.

We think of you now, Mary Anne,
In days before this war began,
How you loved to walk this same old ground alone.
Precious hope is all but through
As grimmest nightmares all come true;
Your house has gone, the grass is overgrown.

How could there be no Mary Anne?
A life so young, a perfect plan. . .
Did you know how fast one heart beat close to you?
With weary eyes and throbbing head
He tries to hear the things you said
Not long ago when happiness was new.

There'll come a day, if fate so deems,
When broken hearts and shattered dreams
No longer paint their picture all in grey,
And perhaps you'll be there by our side,
Where war and death no more divide,
In a better life, a distant world away. . .