Rate:0.0 / 0 votes

No Choice

Nigel Wilkinson 1961 (Belfast)

Elegy
No Choice

Pegasus has fallen
Garotted and impaled
Hanging like a marionette
As Jesus Christ was nailed
Explosions shrapnel tracer fire
Terrified and mutilated
Lolling tongue and rolling eyes
Disembowelled and lacerated
No twenty one gun tribute
Nor a sibling tear
He gave his life
Like all the rest
Yet didn’t volunteer
Eight million died
Without a prayer
Or tribute carved in stone
Just rats and crows
To honour them
Too late to save
And bring them home

About this poem

8 million horses were killed in the First World War. The heartlessness of mankind has never been so clearly demonstrated.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on November 13, 2022

Submitted by nigelplwilkinson on November 13, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
0

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBBCDEBFGHIJKGLMNOP
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 461
Words 83
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20
Full analysis for No Choice »

Nigel Wilkinson

A 61 year old who becomes more reflective with age more…

All Nigel Wilkinson poems | Nigel Wilkinson Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem No Choice with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "No Choice" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/145932/no-choice>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    3
    hours
    19
    minutes
    149 entries submitted — 1 remaining

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Our awesome collection of

    Promoted Poems

    »

    Browse Poetry.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "I walk down the garden paths, and all the daffodils are blowing"
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Gwendolyn Brooks
    C Amy Lowell
    D Elizabeth Barrett Browning