Seriously, Another Year.

Death sat alone in an empty pub, everywhere he went this happened, he’d come in everyone else would leave. Such a shame he thought sipping his pint and watching it drip right through to the carpet….. so embarrassing!

The door flew open with an almighty gust of wind blowing in dust and tumble weed, very unusual for Brixton. Three hooded and cloaked figures entered “Hey man this is a step up from that coffee bar we met in last time” shouted Plague as he sat down and picked up the lager death had ordered for him on the pub app. “How have you been ” asked Death.

“Actually I have been so busy, as busy as you mate, yup it’s been a great couple of years! “

Famine sat down to his Guinness, the food on his plate turn to mush as he breathed on it. “Cheers Death I’m starving and parched.”.

Death nodded as War came in the sound of fighting and gunshot could be heard from the street, hi big man I’ve been busy too handy with Plague here, grabbing all the headlines I can do loads of damage.

Death moved his sythe and war jumped up waiving an AK-47 at him, Death gave him a withering look and said, “Don’t threaten me, you’ll only come off worse! ” War sat down.

“Tell me” asked Famine whose poked Mother Nature she’s in a foul mood, floods, fires, earthquakes, record hurricanes and tornadoes, not to mention climate change. Is she joining us today. ”

“No” Death replied “She’s too busy fighting back, sick of these humans leaching off of her. She sent you her regards Plague and says you’re doing a great job.”

The unfortunate barman came across to the table when Death beckoned to him, “Another round young man and packet of crisps for my friend Famine here! “

The barman, was all at once exhausted, ready for a fight, starving and showing all the main symptoms for covid, returned to the bar and poured these oddly unquieting customers their drinks. As he came back he tripped on Famine’s shopping nearly spilling the drinks. ” Mind the toilet rolls ” Famine snapped. The other three turned and looked at him and as one asked “Seriously”

As they left the barman collapsed, a riot broke out on the streets of Brixton, all the food shops, even Waitrose had their shelves cleared by starving people. Death sighed and set to collecting the dead , a never ending task which pained him. Suddenly his mobile rang

“Hello God here, I see you are all there”

“Yes we’ve been here a while Sir.”

“I know, I suppose you want an apocalypse now?”

“Not really Sir”

“Well you’re not really giving me much choice are you?”

“And a happy New Year to you too Sir”

Death turned his phone off and headed back to the pub, when he arrived it was packed .

Lest We Forget.

Death, Desolation, Destruction!
Men taught hate men taught to wait til death comes to claim them
Stink, Stench Smell
Bodies sinking in the mud tell their own story.
Is this man’s best glory.
Drench, Damp Dripping
Their guns are filthy,bullets all spent. They all gave up hoping.
Boom,Bang Whistle,
They no longer hear they no longer fear the hair on their necks no longer bristle.
Dead all dead and left to rot .
This was the war to end all wars?
How soon we all forgot
Nothing has changed but the theater of war.
They still battle, on the fringes they know the score.
Shout , Scream Squeal they will still advance they have lost the ability to feel.
No longer human their souls are worn out and why are they out there? Can you answer beyond any doubt.
Fight for your sight fight freedom for all ..
As if that day will ever dawn wait to hear the cock call!
Death, Desolation, Destruction!
Men taught hate men taught to wait til death comes to claim them.

© willowdot21

Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 73: (TRIP) in the B rhyme line.

This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Weekly Décima

A line of blood drawn in the sand.
Poison and fear begin to drip
Over the evil rules you trip
The men stand with guns in hand
Hide you’re not worthy as woman.
Every inch you have ever gained
Wrenched from you, all your freedom drained.
Deserted, left now high and dry
False promises your left to cry.
Lost forever the freedom gained.

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 373 LINE and Toe.

ronovanwrites.

This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Weekly Haiku Challenge.

a line drawn in sand
riffle butt and vicious toe
so much blood will flow.

The video below is about Lybia but it just as easily could be Afghanistan.

Post Cards.

Back in August 2014 Geoff at   TanGental  gave his page  over to the ‘Archaeologist,’ his brother, to do a guest post. The  post was called  “What happened next ?” It  is a beautiful post  about  a correspondence  between two young people on the eve of WW1 . The Archaeologist lays out  what  was said  in  a post card  from H  to Miss Parry Jones, he  then asks what  happens next. It is a wonderful post. Do go and read  the Archaeologist’s post and think about  what  might of happened to these two young people in that historic era.

Below is the reply  I sent to the post. I have fallen for  H and Miss Parry Jones  and here I want  to share my  story with you.

********

image from here.

Miss Parry Jones loved the bones of H
They had one last chance to meet before their world would change.
Both would be thrown into the maelstrom of war, where every thing was strange.
He was for the trenches bound, though this he did not yet know
While she, Miss Parry Jones, her world turned upside down into a factory would go.
Young H would carry his gun, at first with pride. Before he, terrified, lost his youth.
Miss Parry Jones watched her fingers turn yellow from using TNT though she never knew the truth.

Miss Parry Jones loved the bones of H
In love they corresponded back and forth from Brighton to France
They both fought tiredness and hunger while fate led them a merry dance.
Their letters filled with their private code hid their love and fears
Both wept alone in the cold and dark and drank deep of bitter tears.
Mud and blood and noise finally took H’s mind
He got his ticket back to Blighty leaving the trench horrors behind.

http://bhikku.net/archives/02/img/stanley.jpg

Miss Parry Jones loved the bones of H
She went to the munition factory for her shift every night
While H was being brought home a gibbering wreck, deaf and with no sight.
Miss Parry Jones knew her man was returning home, this filled her heart with joy.
God was looking elsewhere when she dropped a shell,her dying words where for H, her boy.
H loved the bones of Miss Parry Jones sadly that was all that he came home to.
He did recover in body though never in his mind. He lost his lovely girl.Their moments together too few.

Miss Parry Jones loved the bones of H.

Rememberance Day. 2020

Image from here

High Flight 

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,-and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of-wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air….

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew-
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high un-trespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God

*********

This poem was found in many of the Kriegies’ YMCA issued diaries.    Written by John G. Magee on September 3, 1941.  Magee was born in Shanghai, China, of missionary parents-an American father and an English mother, and spoke Chinese before English. He was educated at Rugby school in England and at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut.  He won a Scholarship to Yale, but instead joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in late 1940, trained in Canada, and was sent to Britain. He flew in a Spitfire squadron and was killed on a routine training mission on December 11, 1941. The sonnet above was sent to his parents written on the back of a letter which said, “I am enclosing a verse I wrote the other day. It started at 30,000 feet, and was finished soon after I landed.” He also wrote of his course ending soon and of his then going on operations, and added, “I think we are very lucky as we shall just be in time for the autumn blitzes (which are certain to come.

*********

This poem is almost a prayer. It is as soft and light as it contents and as deep and heavy as it contents, too. Full of references to cutting the bonds of earth, soaring high on emotions like laughter, delirium, joy mirth. Dancing flying swooping and flying higher than birds. Reaching the edge of space. Then that last line , a line that says it all for me . Where never lark nor ever eagle flew-And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space,Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Such beauty written about such a deadly subject. Planes carrying bombs to flatten hillsides , villages, towns and cities……. Such a contradiction. Words of one who had not flown in war’s true theatre.  If you would like to learn more about John G Magee  read here

Lest we forget.

James Blunt a very underated songwriter and soldier who has fought in recent conflicts. Has a lot to say that is relivant today and to Remembrance Day and every day. Here are three of his songs, one about being on tour in Bosnia one about Lebanon and one about being an officer and having to inform family of death.

Lest we forget. Rememberance Sunday 2020.

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.

Apocalypse Now?

What a state this world is in. We have a dying planet, choked up with emissions, and strangled with plastic and waste. Now I am sure the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are here. I wrote the poem / story below some years ago. I thought things were bad then yet nothing has improved infact it’s worse. So I have revamped the story today!

IS IT REALLY  TOO LATE? 

Time was late, the day was cold  the doors of the coffee shop suddenly flew apart

The scene  from the street was enough to stop your heart.

Four horse men

Slowly and silently approached along the street.

No one could of known, this was the place they had assigned to meet.

As this strange apparition  it’s progress did make,

It left fights and hunger and  deathly illness in it’s wake.

Where once was the  normal order of life

Was suddenly killing and gorging, sickness, death and strife.

Stopping their horses and dismounting as one

They found a spare lamp post their magnificent animals to leash upon.

One of their number scanned the street “No parking meters ….sweet”

They entered the coffee shop and two fights broke out

And terrible hunger and thirst spread about.

Terrified customers died in the rush for the door

People started to sicken with rashes and pustules and what’s more there was blood and guts all over the floor.

Death motioned the others to get a table

As he addressed the barista, a sickly lad  and ordered “four Americanos and a bagel!”

The boy felt so weak as he looked in to the eyes of Death fear gripped his throat

The rest of his staff were in the same boat lost and helpless’ bereft of hope!

Setting down the tray and handing Famine his food,

“I wanted espresso “griped War in a mood.

Death raised his scythe and told him to mind his place.

For he had the last  word and was in charge of this space!

Finally with the local humans all dead

They sipped quietly on their coffee, just for now doing what their leader had said.

After a short while Conquest / Pestilence looked up

And asked “is this coffee fair trade” as he finished his cup.

Famine smirked at the joke his brother had made.

“I need another , where is the barista ”  Death answered ” He died”…… “Okay” Famine sighed

Coffee over, decisions needed to be  made

How to deal with this world’s problem. Plans had to be laid.

“I think I should simply traverse this world

And make them their missiles unfurl,”

Said War before adding “with you,  Death in my wake,

How long would total annihilation  take?”

“No “chipped in Pestilence I can spread  my cloak and make them all suffer.

I have a new toy Corvid 19

It favours the old and sick , it very keen.

You can then step in Death, as they choke  and splutter.”

War banged the table ready to fight

But Death stepped in knowing his way was right .

Looking around brothers do you not agree

They are doing an excellent job of destroying themselves without any help from you or me.”

He saw they were not happy with his interventions

So he enlightened them all with ghastly intentions .

“We need to just hover on the sidelines and leave them to fester.

It will all end soon, this planet cannot sustain forever these hopeless jesters!

They thought for a while while Death entertained them, with his  fiddle

Like Nero back when Rome was burning. but not such  giggle.

The decision was made and they all agreed

They would just make thing worse for all those in need .

They would feed the wars and starve the medical fractions,

Of knowledge and money.

They would disease the corn the milk and the honey.

Death would stalk the world in his usual way

Clearing up the mess and dead at the end of the day.

They then  left the scene of their destroying powers

Riding  off together into the west leaving death and destruction and lots of wilting flowers .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The News papers and TV got the story the very same day.

“Police want to question four hoodies on horse back ” they say.

There is  a witness a child who manage to hide and lived to tell what they had seen.

Apparently strange horses, one white,one red, one black and one pale green?

This  made the  headlines  all over, for a day, well maybe one day more

Then it is back to Famine and  Plague in Africa and  the States and UK to step into  yet another War!

The Greens are screaming we must save Mother Earth

Unknowing that she already dancing  a dirge with Death.

.

Death sat in a corner and polished his scythe and pondered the meeting that morning,

Well he had at least tried to buy these humans ( for whom he actually cared) some time .

But even holding off his brothers, of hope there still was no sign.

He was tired of all the work he had to do,

Exhausted in fact, and his brothers were too.

The task set before them was too great for them to solve ..

Hopefully God will intervene and those irritating humans will evolve  !

As the Apocalyptic quartet rode off claiming souls

They were laughing at humans all bulk buying toilet rolls.

All that paper won’t help them survive

With plague’s new new virus, no amount of loo roll will keep them alive.

Thursday photo prompt: Chill #writephoto

For visually challenged writers, the image shows a landscape wearing a light dusting of snow. From the hill, where skeletal heather and brown grasses pierce the snow, a valley spreads out below, lit by the rays of a pale sun.

After the noise of the battle earlier the silence cut like a knife. The snow was doing a good job of covering the dead and dying. From nowhere came silver rays from the sun bathing the valley in an almost gentle way.

It seemed almost impossible that only at dawn she had stood on the horizon looking toward the castle wondering what was to come. There had been no snow or cold when she had arrived. The witches still held sway over the climate around the castle. Yet as she had stood in the early morning warmth wondering about her future she had felt the temperature drop and seen the white of the Vampire winter approaching.

Realising there was no time to waste she ran to the castle altering those within to the incoming danger. Not bothering to morph from wolf to human she bounded up the stairs howling. She halted at the sight of Ewan, relieved to see he was back to his old irritating self! He confirmed this by patting her head. ***********

The men, dwarves and elves were ready, Rachel told Ewan that the warewolves were on their way. Everything was set and ready, the battle was nigh.

The snow and ice covered the ground silently, it didn’t fall from the sky it was just there. The temperature plummeted, the men’s breath frosted their beards as they saddled their horses, the dwarves drew their cloaks about them against the cruel wind, their axes glinting in the pale morning light. The elves lined the turrets their quivers full of wooden arrows tipped with silver.

The men on horses rode out across the draw bridge and lined up outside the castle in a phalanx the others formed a line infront of then with their spears and weapons raised. Not one of these brave men had ever fought vampires before. The dwarves were ready inside the gates singing and banging drums. The women, children and the old were all inside the castle praying to their gods . Alicia, Lisa and Rachel stood on the ramparts with the elves.

Then of a sudden a whispering, a screaming, a moaning carried across the valley and up the hill towards the castle. “They are here” shouted Alicia, “where” shouted the men. Too late they were upon them , bodies flew around, and were torn apart, men’s and horse’s hearts ripped out and thrown upon the ground. The vampires were invisible they picked the men off simply and cruelly. Within minutes men lay dead and dying, disemboweled, quartered some just drained of blood.. The elves fired into thin air and many arrows met their mark, revealing the evil vampires, writhing and screaming as they caught on fire then turned to dust.

Not a man was left standing not one survived the carnage. All the while the vampires fill the air with their screams and threats.

Hope stirred in her cot, she visualised the Vampire hoards and broke their veil of invisibility. The Elves took aim and fired their arrows up into the sky from where they rained down on the the enemy. The dwarves now came into their own as each vampire swooped at them they used their honed weapons to decapitate as many as they could. Sadly the dwarves took heavy losses.

Lisa and Alicia felt Hope’s power and they joined with her willing the sun to shine at its brightest and hottest. Slowly their powers joined and the warmth in the sun turned into heat. The elves could see the younger vampires crawling up the castle walls and taking advantage of the light they shot at them mercilessly. Rachel looked out to the plains where she saw that the hoards of Vampires were still massing. All was lost how could they cope how could the beat these numbers? The humans barring the women, children and old all dead, all gone. The Dwarves were valiantly holding the castle but for how much longer!

Then a miracle happened the Vampires began to feel the effects of the sun.. they began to burn, black dust from them coated the snow. Their war screams turned to wails of anguish and pain as they died.

The order from the ancients went up R

“Retreat, Retreat” and soon the sky was full of retreating and burning vampires.

After the noise of the battle earlier the silence cut like a knife. The snow was doing a good job of covering theb dust and human dead and dying. From nowhere came silver rays from the sun bathing the valley in an almost gentle way. The heat was gone and the cold had returned. The vampires had gone for now they would be back at night.

Hope stirred in Lisa’s arms as her power subsided so did her mother’s and Alicia’s. “Sleep for now Hope my darling” whispered Lisa, ” they shall not have you” The child smiled in her sleep.

To be continued.

If you wish to read Lisa’s and Rachel’s story up to this point you can find it here.

This is part of Sue Vincent’s #writephoto.