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Today, on March 11th, 2010, the site contains 196 poets, 8,692 poems and 8,276 comments.
Wilfred Owen - The Show

My soul looked down from a vague height with Death,
As unremembering how I rose or why,
And saw a sad land, weak with sweats of dearth,
Gray, cratered like the moon with hollow woe,
And fitted with great pocks and scabs of plaques.

Across its beard, that horror of harsh wire,
There moved thin caterpillars, slowly uncoiled.
It seemed they pushed themselves to be as plugs
Of ditches, where they writhed and shrivelled, killed.

By them had slimy paths been trailed and scraped
Round myriad warts that might be little hills.

From gloom's last dregs these long-strung creatures crept,
And vanished out of dawn down hidden holes.

(And smell came up from those foul openings
As out of mouths, or deep wounds deepening.)

On dithering feet upgathered, more and more,
Brown strings towards strings of gray, with bristling spines,
All migrants from green fields, intent on mire.

Those that were gray, of more abundant spawns,
Ramped on the rest and ate them and were eaten.

I saw their bitten backs curve, loop, and straighten,
I watched those agonies curl, lift, and flatten.

Whereat, in terror what that sight might mean,
I reeled and shivered earthward like a feather.

And Death fell with me, like a deepening moan.
And He, picking a manner of worm, which half had hid
Its bruises in the earth, but crawled no further,
Showed me its feet, the feet of many men,
And the fresh-severed head of it, my head.

Added: on April 22nd, 2009 at 2:43 PM | Viewed: 2292 times | Comments (3)


The Show - Comments and Information

Poet: Wilfred Owen
Poem: The Show

Poem of the Day on:
Jul 27 2005

Comment 3 of 3, added on March 3rd, 2010 at 7:10 AM.
United Kingdom

i was wondering what the structure of this poem is. Would you call it a sonnet? if not what is it?

Also whats the poems form?

Ryan Webb from United Kingdom
Comment 2 of 3, added on October 7th, 2009 at 11:25 AM.

i agree with you, however my favorite is 'Disabled' ... what is the definition of objectification ?

naomi from United Kingdom
Comment 1 of 3, added on April 22nd, 2009 at 2:43 PM.

Personally i think wilfred owen is a genius. All of his poetry is moving and has a great impact on my view about war. 'The Show' is one of my favourites! there is a lot of vivid imagery and he uses a lot on objectification which is quite cool. :)

Jessica

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