X  These War Poems are not suitable for young children. X

This next poem was written after my visiting Mauthausen an ex Concentration Camp in upper Austria.

THEY.
HEIL HITLER, They roared, In thirty four,
Five years of murder, Then came the war.
HEIL HITLER, They roared, it was all the news,
But NO-ONE heard the cries of the JEWS.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as London was burning,
They took no notice of Jewish yearning.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as Europe fell,
They were not interested in this Jewish Hell.
HEIL HITLER, They roared at the Russian invasion,
They ignored the fires of Jewish Cremation.
HEIL HITLER, They roared in their uniforms black,
Wipe out the Jews, Let them never come back.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as Belson was built,
They were not tainted with Infamous Guilt.
HEIL HITLER, They roared in unison out loud,
No place for a Jew in this uncaring crowd.
HEIL HITLER, They roared, Mauthausen, Buchenwald, Dachau.
These are the HOMES of the SAU JUDEN now.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as Jewish Babies were killed,
Whole Families wiped out, With Orders that chilled.
HEIL HITLER, Sieg Heil, Mein Fuhrer, They cried,
As They buried and burned the evidence to hide.
HEIL HITLER, They cried as the Fuhrer drove by,
They had no knowledge as the MILLIONS did die.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as the Jews They did spurn,
They had no conscience, Only a "David's Stern,"
HEIL HITLER, They roared as They washed their hands,
JEWISH FAT for Soap and JEWISH BONES for the land.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as they sorted that Gold,
Wedding rings and teeth from Jews Young and Old.
HEIL HITLER, They roared as the Jews were harried,
No person Jewish was sacred, Single or Married.
HEIL HITLER, They roared. Six Million times more,
Each roar brought death to a Jew for sure.
Now there is PEACE, The WAR is no more,
No JEW WAS KILLED, That is for sure.
There are no more THEY'S They have all disappeared,
Was there no killing ,Was no one feared.
It was just a bad dream that HEIL HITLER ROAR,
THEY were all innocent and that is the score.
Bernard Shaw.

THAT SON OF MINE.

That Son of mine is no more,

His country sent him off to war.

Senseless battles were his lot,

Stupidity did not care a jot.

For God, For King, For country fair.

Slogans, Words hung in the air.

This growing up of mankind,

Perhaps peace eternal, for to find.

I ask myself why should we cry,

Mother, Relations, friends and I.

Who started this infernal war,

We! The Enemy, I'm not sure.

The only thing that I know,

Hatred is very quick to grow.

The next war will total be,

To wipe out all of humanity.

Then no more parent will cry,

Why did my Son have to die.

PEACE IN OUR TIME.

Drums do beat, Bugles call,

Sounds of war are overall.

Cannons roar, shells do burst,

Who, will cry for peace the first.

Men are dying, their guts hang out,

The enemy's running, turn about.

Legs shot off, Men are blind,

Oh how merciful is mankind.

Bleeding to death, mangled hands,

Victory songs from military bands.

One more bullet maybe two,

What's the difference, many or few.

To kill, to rape, to pillage, we,

Through the years to eternity.

Shall carry on infernal war,

Women, Children in our score.

Armageddon will be our lot,

Torture, murder and people to be shot.

We liken ourselves above beasts of prey,

Not true, Only hunger kills this way.

Man with intelligence, guile and pride,

His killing instincts tries to hide.

Pain, agony on the field of battle,

Men being slaughtered just like cattle.

A new Gas, Bomb, or killing machine,

Virus, Toxin brings death supreme.

Homo-erectus, Homo-Sapiens, Homo-war,

Homo-Superior and how many more.

Perhaps, one day, Peace in our Time,

No more armies, no more crime.

A state of bliss, Of serenity sure,

Where want and poverty are no more.

Love and kindness, no more war,

Then this living would be sublime,

With no-one crying, PEACE IN OUR TIME.

NEWS.

I bought a newspaper the other day,

Just to see if the world was OK.

The front page story was quite a shock,

War Lords were still running amok.

The news inside was just as bad,

In fact I think the whole worlds gone mad.

Rape and murder are the all the rage,

They fill the paper page by page.

I wondered if this was all true,

Such things can't happen to me and you.

Corruption, Starvation, Pestilence and War,

Haven't I read all this before.

Mr reporter, I would like to see,

If you can find some good news for me.

A story of Peace, Love and Hope,

Even if it is only in my horoscope.

You see, I am tired of reading about war,

Most of the articles make me feel sore.

I would like to read that the world is OK,

I've waited for years for such a day.

ATOMIC SPLIT.

What a terrible thing to do,

Man has split the atom in two.

For peaceful purposes so we are told,

Medical wonders to unfold.

Then came the war in thirty-nine,

Man committed a terrible crime.

He built a bomb, of course Atomic,

Man's love for man, is ironic.

Two Cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki by name,

Were obliterated much to man's shame.

This was the war to end all wars.

What a terrible thing to do,

We have built a laser or two.

For peaceful purposes so we are told,

Medical wonders to unfold.

We now have nineteen hundred and eighty-five,

Are we lucky to be alive.

The next war will be in space,

What will become of the Human race.

What a terrible thing do to,

We have built a space ship or two.

For peaceful purposes so we are told,

Man's old dream will now unfold.

We have met some aliens from outer space,

What a terrible thing to do,

Now we have killed an alien or two.

Human Race let me say Adieu,

For now I know what will become of you.

Sentry.

Cold is the night air, The shadows deep,

Dawn is far from sight.

Ghost's of sleep tempt my watch,

On this cold and wintry night.

Hear I not the sound of foe,

Stealthily creeping nigh.

If only the light of day would show,

My time of watch gone by.

Soldier Of Fortune.

You could have died in bed,

But you chose the field of battle.

Fascinated by the machine guns rattle,

And those flying slugs of lead.

The rifle in your hand gives you a sense of power,

Enemy shells bursting killing men by the hour.

Youthful sense of heroics led you astray,

The question is will you live through another day.

Grenades explode all around you,

Those that survive are few.

You do not seem to care a lot,

On the killing fields of battle many are left to rot.

Dug in, in your trench thick with squashy mud,

Waiting with baited breath, listening to the shells next thud.

Eighteen years old now filled with the knowledge of death,

What will be your thoughts as you take your last Breath?

Will you think of home and your Mum and Dad?

The rest of their lives empty and so very sad.

Some have lost a leg others an arm,

Were you so naive to believe there would be no harm?

Was it the thought of medals or to be mentioned in dispatch?

That made you join an army at a moments scratch.

You could have said no, that war is a crime.

Down through history men have done it all the time.

You fight on foreign shores not protecting your Fatherland.

Yours is an act of aggression, something not very grand.

A Soldier of fortune fighting for filthy money,

Is neither heroic or sadly not in the least funny.

A man paid to kill all that stands in the way.

Barbaric that is all one can find to say.

You made your choice it was your very own,

When you die no one is to blame but you, and you alone.

When and if you are buried with a tombstone at your head,

One can only say a brave fool is now very dead.

Sentry.

Cold is the night air, The shadows deep,

Dawn is far from sight.

Ghost's of sleep tempt my watch,

On this cold and wintry night.

Hear I not the sound of foe,

Stealthily creeping nigh.

If only the light of day would show,

My time of watch gone by.

Prophecies.

Prophecies that have been made before,

Floods, Famine, Pestilence and War.

Read Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce,

Or any of the prophets from any other race.

The surprise we feel when the consequences come true,

It seems that prophesying is but for a chosen few.

To foretell the future should be forbidden,

Many things were better if they remained hidden.

We cannot yet change the things to be,

Science is fast that is plain to see.

Floods we could conquer when the weather we control,

Famine can be ended with man's playing a roll.

Pestilence is just a matter of plenty of cash,

Scientists could stop it if funding is rash.

Diplomacy and man's good will could stop war,

Finally an end to this murderous gore.

We could if we tried in the next hundred years,

Stop Flooding, Famine, Pestilence, War and Fears,

That would be music to our waiting ears.

Peace In Israel.

Let Peace prevail in Israel,
The time is over due.
Shalom or Salaam is a word so frail,
A word that; both sides should hail.
Both parties should take their cue,
And start Peace talks anew.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
Is barbarous and so very uncouth.
In this day and age of fear,
Peace should allay and bring them near.
Religion plays a mighty role,
Let the Peoples go to the poll.
Decide whether death is worthwhile,
More can be achieved by a friendly smile.
War was never really a solution,
The call for peace a strong resolution.
Deaths and bodies maimed for life,
In this uncaring bitter strife.
The country should act as two,
Both the Palestine and the Jew.
Tolerance is a wonderful plea,
Work both together as it should be.
Disarm all aggressors Palestine or Jew,
Let peace blossom once again anew.
Shalom and Salaam,
Both descendants of Abraham.

Cannons.

The cannons are sounding once again,

Peace it seems is something in vain.

Who sells the weapons to the warring lands?

A handful of Governments with their political bands.

Then when the war is in full swing,

The same Governments send the UNO in.

The UNO have trouble keeping the peace,

They say they are only acting as police.

I say stop the manufacturing the artefacts of war,

Then perhaps peace will reign once more.

Think of how it would be,

If there were no refugee.

A few weapons manufacture less,

Would give us cause our Governments to bless.

Stop the cannons and armaments of war,

Then all could live in peace for sure.

Too Old.

One revolver equals six dead.

One rifle equals nine dead.

One machine gun equals many dead.

One-mine, children dead or maimed for life.

One shell a home destroyed.

One bomb a whole block wiped out.

One atom bomb a whole city destroyed.

I ask you,” Does this make sense?”

Is mankind really so dense?

One war millions killed in vain.

Does this sound to you insane?

Money spent on perpetual destruction,

Should make all humans kick up ruction.

One large round table for politicians to meet,

Start again with a nice clean sheet.

To proclaim no war in this or any other time,

This is the message of my rhyme.

Discuss all problems great or small,

Getting together to solve them all.

Save this world from total destruction,

Hold peaceful meetings without disruption.

This is my dream am I too bold!

Or just getting silly maybe I am too old.

 A Cowardly Attack.

A cowardly attack came from out of the skies,

Taking the American Nation by surprise.

Causing death and injury to the civilian population,

Shocking both the world and the American Nation.

Who are these cowardly dangerous zealots?

That chooses aggression for their dastardly plots.

Have they no feelings both human and warm?

As from out of their hiding places they evilly swarm.

Invoking death and malicious damage to property and life,

All in the name of Allah they use gun and knife.

I see this terrible tragic crime to mankind,

And many revengeful thoughts come into my mind.

To the grieving American Nation my sympathies are yours

In this most cowardly and vicious of wars.

Hunt down the perpetrators punish them with slow death,

They deserve no pity as they breathe their last breath.

 My admiration goes out to the Fire fighters and Police,

A most dangerous work even in times of peace.

I pray for those that are suffering great grief,

May prayers bring you both comfort and relief.

Compassion and love from all over the World,

Be yours as your terrible plight is unfurled.

Pounding Feet.

I hear them again the pounding feet,

Soldiers are marching down the street.

Military music loud to the ears,

Crowds have gathered I hear their cheers.

Realize not that men are being sent to war.

How many will come home I am not sure.

Soon all hell will be let loose,

The reasons for war are many and confuse.

No one knows who is to blame,

But war will take place yet once again.

Men will die on the battlefields,

The Gods of war will have their yields.

In the face of the enemy bravery will be shown,

Many will die some will come home.

Wounds so terrible to behold,

Young faces will quickly grow old.

No Soldier will be more the same.

His gruesome experiences may turn him insane.

Comrades die to the right and to the left,

In his heart there will be a terrible cleft.

Tears will roll down his cheeks,

As dead and dying comrades he seeks.

The weapons of war have no pity,

Be the soldier from the country or the big city.

All will fight at the Officers call,

Many will die as the bullets fall.

The medics will try to save all that they can,

Surgeon’s skills will save many a man.

Others will be buried on foreign soil,

As they gave their live’s the enemy to foil.

I have seen military cemeteries around the Globe

Neatly laid stones surrounded by a green grass robe.

God how I hate to hear the pounding feet,

Of Soldiers marching down the street.

Dresden Rebuilt.

A city named Dresden was bombed to hell,

All that was left was a burned out shell.

There were survivors determined to rebuild,

They cleared away the rubble bomb craters were filled.

Tons of bricks were cleaned and stacked in rows,

Both men and women this hard work chose.

Electric lighting was established once more,

Thousand worked on this difficult chore.

Then the streets were newly rebuilt,

A tidy city no more a patchwork quilt,

Houses and apartments sprang up everywhere,

All took part and did their fair share.

Places of worship soon did appear,

People went to pray and forget their fear.

Shops opened again filled with food and goods,

The German mark flourished and that was good.

I take off my hat to the Dresden folk,

They took the brunt of the bombing and rebuilt in baulk.

Many died but their memories live on today,

The survivors did have the very last say.

Spirit and determination and above all good will,

Is something that war cannot kill.

The Peoples of Dresden can be very proud,

I for one will sing their praises out loud.

Company Fifty-Four.

Marching through the desert sands,

Was the Company Fifty-Four.

Here no green and pleasant lands.

Just the barren desert floor.

Full packs on our bent and tired backs,

A rifle and fixed bayonet at the ready.

The deadly fear of an Arab attack,

With nerves that were not too steady.

Bidons of water warm not fresh,

To quench an everlasting thirst.

We were caught in the Legions mesh,

Wondering who would die the first.

Mile after mile marching at the Legions pace,

Ammunition weighing us down.

The Sergeant Chef with a grim face,

Driving us on past the next town.

The Company Fifty-Four was to replace the dead and the dying,

Of a God forsaken fort in the middle of no-where.

A handful of survivors were on our Company relying,

Legionnaires some that by now did not any more care.

Onward we marched to the refrain of a Legion song,

Desperate with throats parched from the dust and the heat.

None of us in this land did belong,

We just followed our sore aching feet.

The fort came into sight the Tricolour still flying,

We had arrived in the nick of time.

We buried the dead and tended the dying.

Before we washed off the march's grime.

Sentries were placed at strategic points,

Machine guns brought into position.

We hasted to tend our aching joints,

And re-cursed the heavy ammunition.

Two days to build new defences and repair the fort,

Then the Arabs attacked yet once again.

With a new strength we somehow fought,

There was no time to take real aim.

Now there were Arabs dead and dying,

Brave men without a doubt.

This was honesty without lying.

As  we wiped each other out.

Air Raids.

Enemy planes are overhead,

I am in a shelter secure.

Sooner would I be in my bed,

And not listen to the bombs for sure.

Each bomb that fell brought death and destruction,

Solid buildings capsized and fell to the ground.

It was chaos and sheer disruption,

We waited for the enemy to finish this round.

Night after night searchlights filled the sky,

Our fighters, Spitfires harried the enemy planes.

Many were shot down from on high,

And debris fell like the summer rains.

Little sleep at night, days filled with despair,

All around destruction wherever one looked.

It was no exaggeration to say that each one did their share.

Until the enemy goose was cooked,

Long years of suffering and pain.

Hardships a way of daily stress,

Each making sure that the enemy did not gain.

Each wave of assault we rode to the very crest.

We gained supremacy of the skies,

No more enemy bombers got through.

We thanked the aircrews on high,

We owed this to the courageous few.

Then came the doodlebug,

a man less flying construction.

This was the newest German machine to cause heavy destruction.

Then came the rockets the V2,

Tried to break our spirits bold.

A secret weapon from the Nazi crew,

Left us with feelings cold.

Peace eventually came at last,

to Britain's battered soul.

Now they are things of the past,

And we have reached our chosen goal.

Steady Comrades, Steady.

A rucksack on my back,

With automatic rifle at the ready.

Waiting for the next attack,

Steady Comrades, steady.

Bayonets are fixed,

Hand grenades placed ready.

Our feelings are mixed,

Steady Comrades, steady.

Flares light up the night sky,

All hell breaks loose we are ready,

We know that many will die,

Steady Comrades, steady.

Should I be one of the first to fall?

Let all know that I was ready.

Hear once again my call,

Steady Comrades, steady.

Happy Faces.

Happy faces, smiling faces, all is well,

Nothing  to mar the children's pleasures.

They have now come out of their shell.

No more grim and ugly scenes of war.

That until now has ruled the day,

Happy faces, smiling faces, as they enjoy their play.

Released at last from deadly fears,

Of wartime's ugly despondent woes.

Happy faces, smiling faces, full of joyful cheers.

Children suffer the most of all,

When war raises its ugly head.

Peace they sleep safely in their beds.

Happy faces, smiling faces, the children are at play,

That is the way it should always be,

On this and every living day.

I Weep.

I weep for all those caught up in war.

Peaceful civilians, Man woman and child.

For they are mainly the poor,

Life for them is not mild.

Bombs rain down day and night,

No peaceful way to pass the time of day.

Children screaming out in fright,

What can the caring parents say?

How does one explain to a mite?

 Killing destructions from the skies.

How to soothe them in their plight,

how take the misbelief from their eyes.

Yes I weep for those innocent souls,

Theirs is a hard bitter fearful lot,

Condemned to play a waiting role,

In war Man's most vicious plot.

“What For?”

Soldiers dug in, in the ground,

bullets flying all around.

The deadly machine gun’s rattle,

Men caught in the midst of battle.

Grenades exploding rent the air,

with shrapnel that does not care.

Wounded and dying screaming in pain,

As the exploding shells join the refrain.

Inferno coming straight from hell,

Riding on the non-caring shell.

Day and night nerves stretched taut

Fighting a war they never sought.

Caught up in the machinery of war,

Many a man asked, “What for?”