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birth of a nation

I always did what charlie said
never played in disused fridges
always looked both ways because tufty told me
and ate birds-eye burgers to be like ben

- yes I was a good boy
who believed the cavalry would save the day -

so it was a shock
- when dipping half a fish-finger
in the residue of bean juice -
to learn from john craven
   that saigon had fallen
   and america had lost

there was something very wrong
about those tank riders waving red flags
- yes I know it was their country
I knew it even then
but all those sunday afternoon war films
   surely they couldn't be wrong

my father was rather less anxious
   - at this sudden change of events -
and did what he always did
when dealing with the yanks
he mimed picking his nose
mimed running the bogey down the seam of his trousers
and pointed at the ceiling
   'the stars and stripes' he said

 

http://bluemedia68.blogspot.co.uk/

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Comments

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jeremy young

Mon 8th Jun 2015 09:47

yes ben would be shocked to taste them now were he to come back from australia

<Deleted User> (9882)

Sun 24th May 2015 10:13

so cleverly constructed.x

<Deleted User> (6895)

Sat 23rd May 2015 22:02

brilliant!

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M.C. Newberry

Sat 23rd May 2015 17:03

I have my own memories of the days described in these
lines of a shock defeat. You would have thought that
the defeat of the French previously might have waved a
few warning flags but the Yanks (even now) believe that
fire-power is the be all and end all in warfare. I sometimes
wonder how the Brits, Aussies et al would have approached
the combat and its aspect of "hearts and minds" in a
part of the world where things material have to face
a very intransigent type of belief.

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