Brigadier John Mayson

Brigadier John Mayson sat with his rifle,
Looking towards the mountains and caves.
Hiding from someone whos hiding from him.
Marking a bullet he’s specially saved.

The heat pushes down on the bags and the cloth,
The sweat tickles brow with a salty iced twang.
He thinks of his wife back in Buckinghamshire,
He thinks of his child and the songs that he sang.

Alone among hundreds, he’s waiting for nowt.
He gets up, he sits up, and he looks to his right.
They’re all lining up, the aim at the rocks.
They’re ready to die, but don’t know why they fight.

And then there’s a bang – !
one the poor man shan’t hear,
And he thinks of his wife -
of his child –
with a tear.
After months in a world where he didn’t belong,
The world turned to darkness for Brigadier John.

Written By Shane Ferguson
On The 3rd November 2009