Late May 1940.
One packed beach,
A foxhole,
Twenty thousand cans of bully beef,
One army chef,
Heavy artillery,
Retreat to a safe hole,
Leave the beef,
Eight hours,
Return to the beef,
Twenty thousand cans opened by ammunitions,
One army chef very relieved,
Eight hundred and fifty boats and ships,
One hundred and thirty nine thousand nine hundred and ninety seven Frenchmen,
One hundred and ninety eight thousand two hundred and twenty nine British troops,
Nine days,
Early June 1940,
One empty beach,
A successful evacuation,
Five more years of bloodshed.
Brave Tommies
Freedom
Lest we forget.
This post was written in response to the 100 Word Challenge prompt "... lest we forget..." at Julia's Place. There are other fabulous pieces of work linked there. I recommend that you take a peep and possibly even join in.
The way you included the numbers really adds impact to this piece. Sums up the brutality, the hope, the courage, the humanity.
ReplyDeleteThe numbers, the bully beef, the war - the enormity of it all, the mundane and the tragedy. A very poerful poem.
ReplyDeleteA journey from the mundane to the enormous - well done.
ReplyDeleteLovely clash of priorities. Robin
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see WW11 written about Ian. This is a great piece. I could picture a scene from the Longest Day but of course yours was real. Powerful poetry!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your comments. The chef was my Grandad and I remember him telling me this story when I was doing a project at school.
ReplyDelete