German Soldier

6th June 1944 - 2004

Lonely man among men
Facing the sea
You waited, watching
Faceless the invisible enemy

Six decades on
No reunions
No gratitude
No parades
No pride
No end

Just
Night visions filled with
They that grow not old

And the job you had to do
The foe, a harvest to scythe
A shell’s length on the beach
Until bloody and blunted
They found a way to relieve
You of your duty

And the faces took on form
And the waiting was no more
And the survivor’s guilt began
And the wrench of thanksgiving

Soldiers, humans
But for geography
Brothers in Arms
Recognise the other

Like them, your deeds
Haunt the days and
The nights, the fallen

You return
To remember before
You too cease to age
And take the hand
Of an American
Who once faceless
On that beach faced
You, lone man

Sixty years break down
And sharing more than
That which held them apart
Lone men no more.