Or triumphant. The poem’s most poignant feature may be the soldier’s optimism, his faith in what comes after hell. He insists on the necessity of that faith, perhaps as a way of reassuring ...

This particular poem lacks the humour of some of his other work and instead presents a dark and disturbing image of a soldier suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Armitage made a film for ...

Then, and only then, did I come close. SIMON:This poem is written through the experiences of a soldier called Eddie. A bullet had entered the side of his face. The bullet had ricocheted around ...