HOW HE USED TO BE (WW1)
He used to be , so gentle , so kind , of good humorHardly touched strong drink , gave him a headache
So enjoyed the occasional beer , when the day was hot
He keep to just one or two , rarely any more
All that met him , liked him , the woman loved him
He fell in love , got engaged , bottom draw added
To each day , till it were full ready fore the they married
Duly wed , all looking good , years of happiness lay ahead
So was 1913 , a good looking year , a year of love , dreams
Comping true , first baby arrival , perfect in every way
First Chritmas as a family , oh such happy day's!
Nineteen fourteen , dawned , the year look like it was going to be
As nineteen thirteen had been , so it seemed was going to be ever so
Spring and summer , was warm , hot on most days , shirtsleeves , no jackets
No coats , no jumpers!
The skies were blue , hardly any rain at all , summer went on and on , never
Ending summer days
Birds sang , he and his wife and child smiled , how could anything go wrong?
He had a job , not badly paid , all three ate well , had a three roomed flat
All was well , they were as happy as could be
Then came August the fourth , when all that changed , Britain was at war with
Germany
The ideal , came to a crashing end , he joined up , to do his bit for King and
Country
He served at Gallipoli , The Somme , blown up by a shell , he survived , four of
His chums did not , the lay in bits all around him , he had wounded arm , not to
Badly
Patched up , sent home on leave to his family
They could see he'd changed , he would would be quiet , not say a word
He smoked , something he never had Before The War , he drank , and could
He put it away! his temper was on a short fuse , hard harsh words , would pore
Out of his mouth
He'd go to the pub , spend time with others on leave , they keep there own
Counsel
When any one asked: '' whats it like , at the front? ''
One would say '' cushy enough suppose '' , a common understatement
That was all was said , any one wanting to know any more
Was discourage to ask any more questions
Always one who pushed to far
He'd shut the stupid fooker up with a thump
Family all all , lets be honest , when he went back to the front
He went back , survive death more than once , lived , if can call living
The self as he was in 1913 , till August 1914 , had not survived that war
In 1919 , he came home , to the family , but he was a stranger now
He was only sober , when he had no money for beer
He lashed out at his wife and chilldren , only one born due to love
The others well , not conceived in acts of love
He sold his meddles , for beer money
He regally beet up his wife , when he was drunk , which , was often
One day his son saw him coming up the garden path , drunk as usual
Calling , out for his wife , belt in wrapped around his fist , buckle
Showing along his knuckles
The son could not longer stand by while his mum , took one more pasting
From him!
He , the son , grabbed his dad , and laid in to him , beet the shit out of his
Dad
His dad dear not lay a finger on his mother again!
When he died , he was not mourned when he died
Back then P T S , was not reconisde during World War one , those who came back
From That War , shell shock , was a term , that became some kind of
Reincarnation , of what soldiers , were suffering
Were left to get on with it , as were the family's
Ken D Williams
The Dyslexic Wordsmith
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 691 times
Written on 2014-02-16 at 13:33
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