The Soldier (1915)
If I should die, think only this of me;
That there's some corner of a foriegn field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich Earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Give somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, leanrt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace under an English Heaven.

Powerful poem Rupert, its curious the poem and its message as related to its publishing time as well as your untimely death. The dates correlate, also falling around War World I i believe. The way you used England shoes patriotism, but also a lack of love for any woman back at home in England as your poem alludes to in the opening line. National pride is nothing to be taken lightly but to love England so much seems a little foolish, maybe you died as a soldier or had alot of friends who did as you were fairly young when you died. Young soldiers always think they must die to serve their country, when it's the live ones that really aid in the war. But what i like in the poem is your allusions to Nature, from which the soldier was born and made, and then what he adds life to as "richer dust".

Alluding to nature is very prevalent in poems, and i feel like i could do some good work alluding to nature. I hope to write a poem regarding love and tie it into nature, maybe the seasons.. Then again love is lame. I will write it about soccer and talk about the balls movements and compare them to a river. Or not, but alluding to nature seems like an interesting tactic that i will use in the future.