Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WHEN I'M KILLED, by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES


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WHEN I'M KILLED, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: When I'm killed, don't think of me
Last Line: Your playfellow from the grave.
Subject(s): Death; World War I; Dead, The; First World War


WHEN I'm killed, don't think of me
Buried there in Cambrin Wood,
Nor as in Zion think of me
With the Intolerable Good.
And there's one thing that I know well,
I'm damned if I'll be damned to Hell!

So when I'm killed, don't wait for me,
Walking the dim corridor;
In Heaven or Hell, don't wait for me,
Or you must wait for evermore.
You'll find me buried, living-dead
In these verses that you've read.

So when I'm killed, don't mourn for me,
Shot, poor lad, so bold and young,
Killed and gone -- don't mourn for me.
On your lips my life is hung:
O friends and lovers, you can save
Your playfellow from the grave.






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