PASSCHENDAELE (WORLD WAR ONE)

When I first saw Passchendaele , I know I'd arivde in hell
They , the Belges , called it Ypres , us Tommys called it Wipers
MUD, every where I looked , dead horses , some still drowning in
MUD , no longer able to hold there heads up , and out of THE MUD
Body's of men , lay in THE MUD , no one gave them a second look
THE MUD that was Passchendaele , had the body's of men and horses
In it's grip , for ever now in the Devils , heartless embrace

As I staggered on the planks with me chums , one behind the other in a line
We saw a man almost up to his knees , screaming: '' HELP , HELP , ME ''
'' FORE THE LOVE GOD HELP '' , '' FORE FOOK SAKE SAVE , MEEEE ''
His chums , held out the buts of their rifles to their chum to grab
Only to see his hand slip off , 'cos of THE THICK MUD!

We walked on , avoiding eye contact , relvde when our officer ordered

'' EYES FRONT ''

'' KEEP TO THE DUCKBOARDS '' , '' OR YOU WILL BE KEEPING CHUMMY COMPANY!''

As we made our way to where we were going , the trenches , trenches in all this Fooking MUD? Well we'd been told there were trenches hear about's! Yes in all this oozing MUD , this all consuming!

We saw blasted trees , striped of branches , in Passchendaele , nothing lived
Only death prevailed there , in THAT MUD , called Passchendaele

The odd shell dropde , glop it went in to The MUD of Passchendaele
One coursed two lads to dive off the duckboards , there they were to stay
Nothing we could do for them , they had been told '' DON'T LEAVE THE DUCKBOARDS!

When we came back three days later , they had gone , swallowed up , taken down
By the MUD that was Passchendaele

We came to the place we had seen the struggling man , he was still there ,
He had the look of a mad man , total terror on his face , there were hole THE MUD had rechde it between his eyes , blood oozing out to join THE MUD , THAT WAS PASSCHDAELE

I got away from THAT HELL , THAT WAS PASSCHDAELE!

Ken D Williams

The Dyslexic Wordsmith






Poetry by ken d williams The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 575 times
Written on 2014-03-03 at 00:03

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countryfog
Here in my safe little world I'll never think of mud in the same way again.
2014-03-03



This like a scene right out of Dante's Inferno! My husband went to Bosnia after the war and experienced a similar sight, though not quite as dramatic. I had the image he had told me imprinted forever in my mind, now this one will replace one of the worst terrors of war. Strong write inciting feeling of extreme sadness.
Ashe
2014-03-03