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WAR CHILD

  Sunday 3rd. September see's the 78th. anniversary of the beginning of WW2. which left "EIGHTY FIVE" million people dead. This piece contains personal memories of that time, plus a few thoughts on events up to the present. Where we take for granted and do not appreciate the much higher standards of living enjoyed today. The hard lessons learned from the past are long forgotten and the European Community born out of that conflict is threatened with a return to the dis-unity of those time's that helped spawn the tradgedies of World War's one and two. 
There will never be peace in the world. But we can at least "TRY" to minimise the likelyhood of war by patiently, from small beginnings, work toward global unification. 

WE REMEMBER THE KILLING. BUT FORGET THE FUTILITY OF IT

War's over and finished...an age since it started.
Was a nine year old nipper when Chamberlain imparted
that World War Two...he'd reluctantly started 
"We won't let our friends the Polish people down"  
he declared through a worried...of the consequence's frown.
church bells, were stilled into silence, that warm September day
till the end of that unspeakable...six year bloody affray

It's May forty five, I'm a grubby adolescent 
much bigger than Mum, obnoxious, unpleasant  
not the small kid as when Father had gone
battling the Gerries in nineteen forty one. 
Mum was worried...felt sorry for her
but perked up when she saw
as I ate my breakfast toast
the blue edged airmail letter among the morning post
later after school sitting down to tea
reopening the envelope she read outloud to me
what I thought exciting fun...the things our dad had seen and done,
driving a lorry, cleaning his gun
how he missed the family, especially me and mum. 

Ended with love and kisses, I clear the cups and then 
try to guess...what's beneath the bits,
blacked out by the censors pen.
Mum  re-folds the letter, eyes glistened moist with tears
shed for the man she hadn't seen, in four long lonely years.

Now I've lived a long life and made up me mind
that the world is a constant production line,
of babies some bouncing their future assured,
a few arrive faulty...racked with pain 
 bearing the sins...still taking the blame
from a past indiscrete libertine's, moment of shame 
born to die young...a few years of age
 ink barely dried...on church registry page.
 
Naturally selected, the healthy ones then 
go on to accomplish, their three score and ten.
Husband's, mother's, sibblings and others
aunties, uncles, the rich on the hill
lowly of station, or ruling a nation.
When all's said and done, they're just "grist t' mill"

The last generation...fought and died for their nation
and from war weary Europe, a bloody gestation
produced hope in the shape of a new federation
to lessen the chance of new war's and their cause,
freedom of movement on borderless shore's
But memory short, war forgotten, outdated,
short sighted fools...rising rampant with hatred
vote to destroy the good will created
internet xenophobes express extreme views
poisoning minds with misleading news
screaming for all but aryan briton's
to pack up their bags and exit the doors
from recurrently hostile...once welcoming shores.

Raised voices in violent discourse
splits devides and trends
toward argument between family
resentment in faithful old friends. 

Conducted by blinkered resurgents, 
 ignorance once again roars.
retrospectively...for the emergence
of perfection without any flaws 
 a eugenically bred...fair of head
Imperial conquering force.

Re-conbombulated

◄ A POEM OF MASS DESTRUCTION

A LITTLE LIGHT RELIEF FROM THE FLOW OF MISERY PERMEATING THE PAGES OF W.O.L. ►

Comments

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M.C. Newberry

Sat 2nd Sep 2017 18:12

I recommend "Beyond Nab End", an account by William
Woodruff of his move from the north to London in
1933, a working class lad aged just 16 in search of his future. His progress from a docklands iron foundry to Oxford and a university education, with its political
and class associations as war approaches, is hugely
stimulating. Take his recall of comments by Sir Alfred
Zimmern, political oracle and occupant of the Montague
Burton Chair in International Relations - on the subject
of international relations.
"Moving human beings about and obtaining mutual understanding between them is, however, a problem of
an entirely different order.
Neither international socialism nor international capitalism
can bring about world unity. World systems, whether we
like it or not, go against the grain of human nature.
Those who try to build a heaven on earth fail to understand human nature."
Fascinating to realise they were stated so long ago!
As for war, WW1 happened because of the desire of the
Kaiser's Germany to rival the might of maritime Great Britain. WW2 happened because a political reaction
against the restrictions of the conditions imposed by
the Versailles Treaty became mired and corrupted by
the hate-fuelled ambitions of a German leadership
once again driven by expansionist ambitions.
It is ironic that when it is argued that the EU represents
a step towards peace, its existence is seen by the likes
of Russia as a collective threat, whilst its open border
policy elsewhere has allowed instability of an increasingly
dangerous nature to occur across the continent.
Human nature continues to be the simple problem but
the answers are becoming increasingly difficult.
The population in the UK needs no huge influx from
elsewhere to maintain its future - as long as it is able
and ALLOWED to determine that future.
P.S. Woodruff survived the war as an army major and returned to academic life, writing numerous well received books along the way.

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Harry O'Neill

Sat 2nd Sep 2017 14:39

A well put and timely reminder, Ken, of how (after a tragic and costly war) The E.U.was created to prevent the same thing happening in Europe again...Their experience that the cause of modern wars was national ambition, and their insight that prevention lay in the mixing of the industrial and commercial sectors of the various nations is now
being proved by the pathetic attempts by Davis to leave, and yet still hold on to the economic benefits of membership. It makes us look like the old idiot boy, sucking his thumb and wondering why the rest will
not play with him.

Your sections about babies is also very relevant at a time when already over thirty per cent of our kids were born - last year - to mothers who were themselves born outside the U K. and we want to send back - or stop coming in - our human stock replenishment....Talk about a whole
Nation dying of old age!

I am an admirer of the American political system, which holds together so many potentially quarreling states (and which is quite capable of controlling a maverick president) I think something along such lines may be eventually developed for Europe. ( In the meantime it seems crazy to
get out and leave Germany and France more or less in charge of one of the most powerful trading blocks in the world)

The present situation could not be described better than those final two sections of your poem (not to mention that crafty rhyming of `resurgents` with `emergence`)...Keep on giving it to them straight!

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keith jeffries

Sat 2nd Sep 2017 10:27

Ken, thank you for this masterly poem which is certainly borne out of experience and reflection. Both major conflagrations of the last century should have taught us some valuable lessons but as you say memories are short. One factor frequently overlooked today is the lack of emphasis placed on the teaching of history. As George Santayana said, ¨ Those who cannot remember the past, are doomed to repeat it ¨. Thank you indeed for this. Keith

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