Camera strap cuts shoulder blade
Grey morning on the highway grade
Shutter clicks a frozen frame
Mud and metal, still the same
Thunder rolls from distant ridge
No flags left on the bridge
Boots sink deep where orders led
Helmet rests beside the dead
One white shell in borrowed ground
Worth more than the dirt around
Flashbulb catches what remains
Silence sings through artillery rains
Film advance winds slow and loud
Cloud cover hangs a heavy shroud
Bus stop bench holds half a pack
Road stretches out and won't look back
Thunder rolls from distant ridge
No flags left on the bridge
Boots sink deep where orders led
Helmet rests beside the dead
One white shell in borrowed ground
Worth more than the dirt around
Flashbulb catches what remains
Silence sings through artillery rains
Viewfinder frames a jagged edge
History on a dusty ledge
Fingers tremble, focus pulls
Time stands still in muddy gulls
One white shell in borrowed ground
Worth more than the dirt around
Flashbulb catches what remains
Silence sings through artillery rains
Negative strip dries on a line
Faces blurred by grand design
Tire tracks fade in afternoon
Another mile, another tune
One white shell in borrowed ground
Worth more than the dirt around
Flashbulb catches what remains
Silence sings through artillery rains
Developer smells like rain and rust
Dreams develop, turn to dust
Final print shows what we knew
Helmet wears the morning dew
One white shell in borrowed ground
Worth more than the dirt around
Flashbulb catches what remains
Silence sings through artillery rains
One white shell in borrowed ground
Shutter clicks and bus pulls away
Mud helmet stays another day