Morning Bright And Early

Morning Bright and Early

Morning bright and early, The guns are silent now I greet the hills and meadows The sunlight will endow. But they will not bear witness Those brave souls lost to greed Who walked these hill as I do And in our sorrow, bleed.

Morning bright and early The orders came to rise The quiet so confused them When guns forsook their noise. But as the sun spread o’re the hill They heard the roaring then, And charged into the hellish fire And n’ere came back again.

So long ago their names were bright Their laughter hung like stars But war brought them to battle The furrows of their scars. So bright they felt the rising sun, The signal of the day, On that morning bright and early When they charged from life away.

It’s morning bright and early, The cattle chew the cud I call them to their milking, As once my brother could. But he is far from these fair fields In Flanders clay he lies — One morning bright and early Cold death closed up his eyes.

Morning bright and early, The guns are silent now?

— © Frank Callery, August, 2017