Martin “Marty” Boyce

THE FINAL PARADE

In ordered ranks they stand against the starkness of the wall
old diggers who have passed across to answer one last call
with bodies bowed not beaten they will stand beside their mates
For each and every soldier this battalion quietly waits

A piece of brass in memory, old soldiers from old wars
men once young who heard the call and rallied to a cause
who wait for new arrivals on their ordered wall of stone
ensuring that the new blokes are not left to fend alone

The empty walls remind us of the soldiers dying still
while the wars continue we all know these empty spots will fill
Old soldiers from the battles past will wait for those who fall
to take their place in ranks against the starkness of the wall

Author’s Note: I went for a walk over to the cemetery at Woden, ACT at lunchtime and was looking at the Walls of Remembrance. It struck me that the old soldiers still stand in ordered ranks and the empty places are a reminder of the fact that with wars continuing, these places will fill in due course. My mind pictured the old soldiers in ranks, waiting for the new blokes to arrive so that they don’t face eternity alone.

As a follow up to this poem, I went back to the Wall of Remembrance and took down the details of the last plaque to be placed on the marble walls. My poem, “Position 9, Row B, Wall 28” was the result.