Thomas Peaceful-Anzac Poem

Thomas Peaceful is a fictional character from my favourite book, Private Peaceful. The book is all about Thomas Peaceful's life, from his first day at school and to his battles at France. My poem is about the Sacrifice his dad made for him and Penance.

From the perspective of Tommo Peaceful

Sacrifice

It demands the surrender of things

We cherish above all else

Along with sacrifice comes

Penance

The more grievous the sin

The more self inflicted suffering

My sin?

My greatest fall!

The day I had killed father

Twas not my intention

Nor was it the tree’s

The tree that had ended the life of father

The tree that had cut short

Father’s lifelong film

My penance, I was going to live knowing what

I had faulted against father

The greatest suffering above all

When the tree was falling
It had seemed as if it was still upright
Father yelled from a distance
His voice shot like a bullet through my ears
and echoed continuously on my thoughts
I was in a deep trance
So deep, that when I had realized
that the tree was falling
Not a muscle nor a hair on my body
moved

At that moment, father had swooped me in arms
Lifted me gracefully with ease
Ran a few meters, before thrusting me across
And there I lied, at the tip of the oak tree
Facing dear father
Hands, were spread out wide
Body, didn't make a single movement
head was flopped, looking at me
With a red velvet substance of liquid
dripping from his nose

I remember
Seeing his pain lift from his face, and enter mine
I remember
not coping with his death
I remember
the trauma I had put my family through
I remember
how everything was before he had died


🌹🥀