
She could feel her icy fingers begin to thaw on the warm sand…..the transformation might be very pleasant.

Part of LindaGHill’s One-Liner Wednesday and Just Jot it January
06 Jan 2021 22 Comments
in History, humour, One liner Wednesday Tags: LindaGHill, truth
She could feel her icy fingers begin to thaw on the warm sand…..the transformation might be very pleasant.
Part of LindaGHill’s One-Liner Wednesday and Just Jot it January
26 Nov 2020 28 Comments
in History, Poems Tags: Greetings, Happy Thanksgiving, harvest, joy, love
I send this happy greeting out to all my American friends and readers all over the world who are celebrating Thanksgiving today. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Please say a prayer for those less fortunate out there. In these covid days I hope you are all safe and being sensible. Stay safe and well and protect eachother. I have written in an Acrostic Poem for you all.
Hopefully they travelled
Across the Atlantic Ocean
Praying for safe delivery
Pleased at first sight of land
Yearning for all they had left behind
Thankful to be safely delivered
Hopeful of a brave new world
Aching in soul and body
No one shirked their duties
Kindred spirits they worked together
Spring, Summer and Autumn brought their hardships
Giving thanks to their God
Indians watched them from afar
Vainly struggling in a hostile world
In fear they struggled but
Never giving up they reached harvest
God got them through and they gave thanks.
09 Nov 2020 11 Comments
in #Haiku, #Senryu, #Haiga, #Tanka, #Tanka Prose, #micropoetry, #poetry, #5lines, #Haibun, #Prose, #CinquainPoetry, #Etheree, #Nonet, #Shadorma, #Gogyoka, History, inspiration, Poems, Ronovanwrites Tags: Brave New World
Before we can heal
We have first to learn the truth
Bright new beginnings.
08 Nov 2020 21 Comments
in #Haiku, #Senryu, #Haiga, #Tanka, #Tanka Prose, #micropoetry, #poetry, #5lines, #Haibun, #Prose, #CinquainPoetry, #Etheree, #Nonet, #Shadorma, #Gogyoka, History, inspiration Tags: death, gratefulness, Remembrance, sacrifice
They lie not in that empty grave
Beneath the foreign sod.
They do not lie forgotten
In that cold, and desolate Land of Nod.
Soldier Boy … Solider Boy,
The trumpets blast, and blare;
And wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph,
To show … that we still care.
But … there’s a greater love than Man’s
Who knows the price you paid.
He spared you the indignity,
And lifted you from that cold, cold grave.
He created a Great Celestial Shrine,
And the moment it was done …
With a gentle hand, placed the Valiant heart,
Of each dear Mother’s son.
Soldier Boy … Solider Boy,
Under Dutch blue skies,
The gentle Breeze of Holland …
Kiss your grave … as they pass by.
Written by Earl Doucette
I could not find anything about Earl Doucette apart from the fact that he was Canadian.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a beautiful poem. It speaks of God, whatever name you give him/her, lifting all the dead soldiers from their cold or hot and bloodied graves all over the world and in all times past and future and even present. He takes them to Heaven ..whatever name you have for heaven. It is a comfort to us all, for the violent deaths and hurried burials that soldiers on the battle theatres of war received. It troubles us all and so we have these poems to salve our consciences and please our tender souls .
We all have Remembrance Days but this is a way of saying they got a greater remembrance. I shall say no more you have all heard my feelings on War .
08 Nov 2020 26 Comments
in History, inspiration, Music, photos, Poems Tags: death, gratefulness, Injuries, Remembrance, War
Today is the nearest Sunday to Remembrance Day here in the UK . Because of Covid 19 the Veterans will not be Marching. Also we will not forgetting all those men and women injured and killed in more recent conflicts.
I thought I would remember the women for WW1 and WW2 who took over all the jobs that the men who had been sent off to war left empty here in what was known then as Great Britain.
Not only did the women do these , sometimes very dangerous jobs but they looked after the families and homes. Now I do not wish in any way to detract from the huge sacrifice of all the men who fought for our countries during the two wars .
Remember the women left back home.
They made the ammunition for Tommy
Dangerous work,they died too it was not funny.
Women became officers of the law
Something never heard of before.
Nurses, drivers even pilots for planes
Remember them we will never know their names
Someone had to give the farmers a hand
Remember the men were at war in a foreign land.
The members of the ” fairer sex ”
Drove the buses, trains and lorries
Kept all essential job going , however complex
They also fed the family and kept the Home Fires Burning
During the wars ww1 and ww2 women filled in the gaps that the men who had been sent off to war left. It is not always remembered that they worked in the factorys drove buses trains and flew planes and probably sailed ships. They became members of the forces, nurses at home and on the war front too. They were also seconded into the police these jobs were almost unheard of for women before the first world war. They also had to do hard farm labour on the farms to help keep the food supplies going.
Women worked in shipyards, built planes and also made ammunition, hard and dangerous work.
It was not just the fact that the bombs , shells or landmines could explode if mishandled but the TNT was dangerous to the women’s health.
” Munitions workers whose job was filling shells were prone to suffer from TNT poisoning. TNT stood for Trinitrotoluene – an explosive which turned the skin yellow of those who regularly came into contact with it. The munitions workers who were affected by this were commonly known as ‘canaries’ due to their bright yellow appearance. Although the visible effects usually wore off, some women died from working with TNT, if they were exposed to it for a prolonged period. As Ethel Dean, who worked at Woolwich Arsenal, recalled, ‘Everything that that powder touches goes yellow. All the girls’ faces were yellow, all round their mouths. They had their own canteen, in which everything was yellow that they touched… Everything they touched went yellow – chairs, tables, everything.’ (IWM SR 9439) More imformation here
Women did so many jobs that before the first world war, those of the middle and higher class would never even contemplated. Many died of injury and of disease due to chemicals, asbestos used in badly ventilated buildings.
Also they played their part in SOE read here and also here .
All images from Google Images women at war ww1 and ww2
And the Men
We sent them off to war,
These bright young men
We had no knowledge of what they saw,
They came home, bright young men no more .
Yes though brave they were no longer whole
Those that survived had no soul.
Many died,the lucky ones, death to them was kind.
Those who returned were faded in body and in mind.
Their loved ones at first relieved
Soon found they had much cause to grieve.
Though there, in body broken,
Their fears left unspoken
Their minds were left behind.
They went out whole, these bright young things.
They returned lost, holding on by gossimar strings
They went full of pride for God and King
They ran head long into hell
On return they could not relinquish it’s spell.
So we had a nation of half men, half ghosts
Fearful, their heads still had them at their posts.
The trenches and the blasts of bombs, the smell of death
Clung to them and bled them dry, the whole in body, the blind of eye
The amputee, it was as if they had never left.
We sent them off to war,
These bright young men
We had no knowledge of what they saw,
They returned, bright young men no more.
Paintings by William Rothenstein.
07 Nov 2020 55 Comments
in #Haiku, #Senryu, #Haiga, #Tanka, #Tanka Prose, #micropoetry, #poetry, #5lines, #Haibun, #Prose, #CinquainPoetry, #Etheree, #Nonet, #Shadorma, #Gogyoka, History, inspiration, Poems, sadness, songs Tags: Animals in War, gratitude, Purple Poppies, Red Poppies, rememberance, white poppies
I do not want to upset anyone but as we draw near to Rememberance Day I just wanted to share my feelings on the poppies we wear. I wrote this back in 2018.
There are more than one, these days, the red to remember the dead, the white for peace. The white to remember the conscientious objector. During WW1 and WW2 many thought these men were cowards. I do feel they were brave, enough to stand up for their beliefs. Many were tried and shot for not taking up arms. Many spent the war as medics and stretcher bearers unarmed or in the mines though of course not all wartime miners were objctors.
What ever you think, the wars killed them irrespective of their principles. I respect the Red and the White.
The Red and the White.
Why
Argue
Both were brave
Each had their own
Principles to up
Hold. Neither less than bold.
One would carry a weapon
The other a stretcher, no gun
Both men died for their own held beliefs
They were both lost and that loss brought much grief.
———
Then there is the Purple Poppy in remembrance of all the animals who died in service during conflicts and serve with us still in modern conflicts.
They pulled the gun carriages until they dropped
They carried messages and they got shot.
They search out the unexploded mines
They save lives a thousand times.
Spare a thought for the horse, pigeon, donkey dog and many more
Remember them, they all help us in times of war
25 Oct 2020 6 Comments
in Autumn, History, inspiration Tags: Beauty, inspirational, Life, Sue Vincent
A beautiful clip from Sue Vincent’s silent Eye Blog.
“The circle opened its heart to welcome me back… and ‘welcoming’ was exactly the feeling Stuart reported later, with a good deal of surprise. It was not what he had expected from the place at all. It is hard to find words that describe it… as if each of the different types of stone… the sarsens, bluestones, gneiss and many others… all sing a different note, but no matter how beautifully they harmonise, their song needs to pass through the human heart in order to be heard, felt and lived. So it was with tears of gratitude streaming… and probably a very silly grin… that we finally entered the circle of stones.”
26 Nov 2019 22 Comments
in Autumn, Colleen's Tuesday Tanka, History, Poems, Tuesday Tanka Tags: Family, growth, History, Thanksgiving
This week you have a choice. You can write about the #Theme of Thanksgiving (thankful, grateful, family, etc. whatever that word means to you)
OR
here are your two words for this week:
“End & Hurry”
Hopefully they travelled
Across the Atlantic Ocean
Praying for safe delivery
Pleased at first sight of land
Yearning for all they had left behind
Thankful to be safely delivered
Hopeful of a brave new world
Aching in soul and body
No one shirked their duties
Kindred spirits they worked together
Spring, Summer and Autumn brought their hardships
Giving thanks to their God
Indians watched them from afar
Vainly struggling in a hostile world
In fear they struggled but
Never giving up they reached harvest
God saw them through and they gave thanks.
So as I did an Acrostic poem which is not within our remit so here is a Tanka. A synonymous Tanka not using the words End and Hurry.
Thanksgiving Tanka
It comes to a close
The year gently closing down
Only to speed up
Thanksgiving with family
It all ends so happily.
This is part of Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka.
10 Nov 2019 16 Comments
in History, Music, Poems, Talking Straight Tags: death, loss, Remembrance, War
They were so brave, so very young Their journey had not yet begun. Blindly they marched into the guns To a last roll call at the setting sun. They had family and loved ones They all marched off as friends They left their homes full of hope Most would not be back again.
They pulled the gun carriages until they dropped
They carried messages and they got shot.
They searched out the unexploded mines
They saved lives a thousand times.
Spare a thought for the horse, pigeon, donkey dog and many more
Remember them, they all help us in times of war
Why
Argue
Both were brave
Each had their own
Principles to up
Hold. Neither less than bold.
One would carry a weapon
The other a stretcher, no gun
Both men died for their own held beliefs
They were both lost and that loss brought much grief.
———
From the beginning of time up until now and way in to the future war prevails. I believe we will never be free of war.
What we can do is remember those who have given their health or their lives for us to hopefully live better lives. I say Thank You.
We must never forget.
30 Sep 2019 16 Comments
in History, inspiration, Poems Tags: Dragons, Sleep, Unseen, Wisdom
© willowdot21 2019
Sleep softly
As thousands of feet
Walk past you
Men are blind
To all your timeless wisdom
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