Huddled in the corner his coat thread bare and
Ragged with time, you would have thought him a
Criminal but he had committed no crime.
Dereliction served little comfort he once knew
This place well, a place alien to him now it had
Become a living hell.
From down the chimney and broken window pane the
Wind blew hard, like a wailing Banshee, demanding
His attention, calling out his name, or was it a
Trick to make him drop his guard and as he
Reached inside his pocket he touched frayed
Ribbon and metal hard.
He fought for his country, would have died for
His Queen and what he became was a person unseen.
From a different era, the stories he could have
Told, fading memories inside his head, no one
Wants to listen to a soldier that is old.
His time had come he knew it now, he closed his
Eyes, yes, he could see them, they were reunited
Somehow. Past glories, past lives, past loss.
Who is this man? The unknown soldier, lived,
Forgotten and died alone.