Dear Erica,
Here is a poem which made a deep impression on me and which I’ll always remember. It’s by Siegfried Sassoon, an English poet who fought and was decorated and wounded in the first Great World War, 1914–18. I think of it as the most meaningful anti-war poem I’ve ever read.
DOES IT MATTER?
Does it matter? — losing your legs? …
For people will always be kind,
And you need not show that you mind
When others come in after hunting
To gobble their muffins and eggs.
Does it matter — losing your sight? …
There’s such splendid work for the blind;
And people will always be kind,
As you sit on the terrace remembering
And turning your face to the light.
Do they matter — those dreams from the pit? …
You can drink and forget and be glad,
And people won’t say that you’re mad;
For they’ll know that you’ve fought for your country,
And no one will worry a bit.
— Siegfried Sassoon
Sincerely,
