Author's Note: I wrote this piece from the perspective of a soldier from the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The boys came into the war not expecting it to turn out the way that it did. They believe that now that they are off at war, they are superior to all those around them, when in reality they are just 18 year old boys, who rid themselves of their innocence and thrust themselves into experience with the constant death, and gruesomeness that surrounds them. The power thirsty men that they take shelter with, help them to create images of a peaceful meadow to take away from their brutal surroundings; each of these occurrences inspiring my response from chapters 1-3.
Along to war I take, a gun, my dignity,
The life I chose to make
A greenhorn on the battle field
My imagination remains my most powerful shield
Creating perfect pictures of the life I wish to live,
Swaying grasses, clear blue skies,
A gift that nature continues to give
Yesterday at home - loved, and sheltered,
I left, leaving my innocence behind
Opening new doors,
New opportunities,
Opening new eyes
Men whom I have grown to hate,
Power thirsty savages determining their own fate
Sickness spreading, diseases unknown
Please dear lord, let me go back home.
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