Elegy of a Common Soldier and Other Poems by Dennis B. Wilson
A mature collection of 125 poems covering profound human experiences and drawn from a life spanning 92 years and including experience of front-line battle in Normandy in 1944 from which he emerged with life-changing injuries. Dennis B. Wilson is a rhyming and scanning poet who writes poems that are easily understood. 'Elegy of a Common Soldier' was written 'at various times in 1943, 1944, and 1945; some parts written in slit trenches in Normandy, making unauthorised use of the Field Service Pocket Book; and some parts written clumsily with the left hand while in hospital.' The poet describes it as 'The reflections of an ordinary soldier, of any nationality, temporarily withdrawn from the front line to an area of comparative peace, in any of the wars to which unwilling Mankind has been subjected by the ambitions, greed or stupidity of his rulers.' Dennis B. Wilson's poems are a remarkable personal history stretching from 1937 to 2010 and cover every nuance and aspect of the human condition and emotions from Disconsolation, Camaraderie, Extremes, Flower of Hope, to One-Sided Love, Battle of the Sexes, Expectancy of Life, Friendship and Chemotherapy.