Two Games

Four soldiers sat within a trench

     Hid from the foe three hundred yards,

With shrapnel bursting overhead,

     And played a quiet game of cards.

Three hundred miles and more away,

     Four rulers sat with bated breath,

Away from deadly shot and shell,

     And played a game of gain or death.

Which game, O man! would you prefer?

     Three hundred miles – three hundred yards?

With future judgment on the plays

     I’d choose the quiet game of cards!

Nov. 19, 1915