"Suicide in the Trenchs"-Seigfried Sassoon. circa1886

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

I love this poem, it is heartwrenching as well as enlightening. It means a lot to me and has forever been one of my favorite poems. : )