"The Rear-Guard" is a poem by author Siegfried Sassoon. Vivid imagery is used to convey the horrors of war to the audience.
The narrative poem focuses on a soldier who is walking through tunnels underneath a bloody battle. The speaker takes his time when describing a certain scene: The soldier finds someone lying on the ground and pauses to ask him a question, not realizing this man is dead. He then sees the decaying body and the agony that, for some reason, has not left his eyes yet. When the soldier finally finds the exit, it is only to suffer more in battle.
