Patriotic pieces from the Great War/Forget It, Soldier!

FORGET IT, SOLDIER!

Sometimes when I grow weary
Of beans and soup and stew,
I long to be where I could get
A home-cooked meal or two.
Such thoughts as turkey, steaks and chops
Go floating through my head;
Biscuits, muffins, hot cakes
And loaves of home-made bread.

Forget it, soldier!
Such feasts are not for you.
Let hunger spice your soup and beans
And appetize your stew.

At night when I get tired
Of bed sack, straw and cot;
Of sleeping under blankets,
Sometimes warm and sometimes not,
I dream of great fourposter beds,
With pillow, quilt and sheet
And mattresses in which you sink
About a thousand feet.

Forget it, soldier!
Such ease is not for you.
Let hard work make your bed sack soft,
As other fellows do.

But worst of all, when I get bored
With what the fellows say,
I think about a girl I know
So many miles away;
The nicest, dearest little girl
You'd ever care to know.
She was my sweetheart once, it seems,
A hundred years ago.

Forget it, soldier!
Sweethearts are not for you.
Your rifle is your sweetheart,
So learn to shoot it true.

—C. F. R.—Camp Hancock