MEDALS IN THE DUST

I FOUND THEM LYING IN THE DUST, THEY’D LONG SINCE LOST THEIR GLINT

WHO THEY HAD ONCE BELONGED TO, THERE WAS NOT THE SLIGHTEST HINT

A ROW OF TINY MEDALS, ONCE SO PROUDLY WORN

PRESENTED MANY YEARS AGO, BEFORE I WAS EVER BORN

 

NO ONE SEEMED TO KNOW, HOW LONG THEY HAD LAIN THERE

AND WHAT SEEMED A GREATER SIN, NO ONE SEEMED TO CARE

EACH ONE A BADGE OF COURAGE, BRAVELY WON IN WAR

NOW LEFT ABANDONED, ON A STORE ROOM FLOOR

 

NO NAME OR SERIAL NUMBER, INSCRIBED AROUND EACH RIM

HIS SERVICE IN TWO WORLD WARS, WAS MORE THAN JUST A WHIM

A VETERAN OF OUR NATION, IN CAMPAIGNS NEAR AND FAR

AN OAK LEAF FOR BRAVERY, PINNED ABOVE A STAR

 

AWARDS ARE THERE TO CHERISH, MEMORIES OF ONE SO DEAR

NAMES RECALLED ON ANZAC DAY AND DIFFERENT TIMES EACH YEAR

SO, I TOOK THOSE TINY TRIBUTES AND I’M NOT AFRAID TO SAY

THEY JOINED THE GENERATIONS, OF MY FAMILY’S ON DISPLAY

 

SINCE THE DAY OF FEDERATION, HISTORY HAS BEEN SHORT

WE SEEM TO FIGHT ABOVE OUR WEIGHT, IN BATTLE AND IN SPORT

SO, PLEASE BEQUETH YOUR MEDALS, TO ONE THAT YOU CAN TRUST

ELSE ONE DAY I MIGHT FIND THEM, JUST LYING IN THE DUST.

 

By Tomas ‘Paddy’ Hamilton
5 November 2019

NB: The author is aware that miniature medals have no name or serial number inscribed on them.

 

 

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