Payback!

It's 40 years since I was an Instrument Fitter at 10 Sqn., Townsville.

We'd flown on up from Townsville
To patrol the northern gulf,
It was just a routine flight, and we
Felt lazy, after lunch,
With a pale blue sky above us
And an azure sea below,
I just felt like turning turtle,
Napping out, while things were slow.
 

I remember that the Beatles came

Across the intercom,

Sang a song from Sergeant Peppers

Of some Lonely Hearts Club Band,

I was down there in the nose cone

Strapped and buckled to my seat,

Feeling warm and safe and cozy

In the tropics, in the heat.

 

While down in Carpentaria

The water was sublime,

We'd flown this great expanse before

A hundred, thousand times

Looking out for those illegals,

Indonesian fishing boats,

Fishing in our charted waters,

Stealing fish from round our coast.

 

There were seven in the Neptune,

We were short on crew that day,

Just the Captain and co-pilot

And a Navigator, Ray,

The Rad-tech keeping cover

On the sonar, 'Jezebel',

The others taking turns on M.A.D.,

The stinger in the tail.

 

While I was the Observer, and

I should have been alert,

Keeping watch on the horizon,

There was nothing to report,

I could hear the others mumble

Through the sleepy afternoon,

Then a bell went off, the 'Snifter'

And it galvanized the crew.

 

The Captain ordered 'Sonar' and

We blasted off a buoy,

Flew on a dozen miles or so

Then dropped another toy,

The 'Jezebel' was chattering

And M.A.D. was cutting in,

Its Anomaly Detection showed

A fish - but made of tin.

 

I scanned to the horizon but

Saw nothing in my view,

Reported to the Captain, he

Barked orders to the crew,

The Rad-tech on the 'Jezebel'

Yelled, 'Whoopee - listen Bub,

I'm reading off a Russian code,

We've got ourselves a sub!'

 

I felt the nose begin to dip,

And roll toward the port,

It looked like we were going down

To check the Russian out,

When suddenly a water spout

Appeared from down below,

I yelled up through the intercom:

'Missile - Missile - Go!'

 

It only seemed a moment that

I braced myself, and then,

The nose-cone shattered, opened up

And left me hanging there,

The wind was like a howling gale

And took my breath away,

I hit the buckles, twisted round

And made for the crawlway.

 

They pulled me through the tunnel

Bleeding cuts across my face,

'What happened, are we going in?'

No-one was game to say,

The pilot pulled back on the stick

And took her round to port,

'The missile just glanced off us,

Or we wouldn't be here, Sport!'

 

I heard the Captain rage and swear

Across the intercom,

'That b*****d's got it coming, he

Won't know where it's coming from!'

We're not supposed to fire on them

The U.N. won't be chuffed,

But after that, I think he knows

That all the bets are off!'

 

The Neppy brought its nose around

And set off in pursuit,

We dropped two other sonar buoys,

The sub was heading out,

At just above a thousand feet

He said, 'Just let her rip!'

And dropped a dozen depth charges

On that Russian ship.

 

The water just erupted in

An agony of white,

A swirling burst of bubbles said

Our targeting was right,

And then a long, black shape had leapt

Nose first up from the sea,

We saw it had a broken back,

It sank there, instantly.

 

We limped our way to Katherine

And landed in the gloom,

A host of men in suits were there,

They shut us in a room,

Then all of us were made to sign

Some forms before we left,

Headed - 'The Official Secrets Act',

They scared us half to death.

 

I think that I can tell you now,

It's forty years this year,

That in the placid waters of

Gulf Carpentaria,

There lies a sunken, rusted wreck,

A Hammer-Sickle crest,

That took on a single Neptune there,

And well... you know the rest!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Aspiring Angel]

I have had myself on computer restriction to try to catch myself up wit the real world. I am just finding this in my read request and I am sorry it has taken me so long to get here. Your work is always fascenating to read and always so well written. Thanks for the suspense. Great stuff.

Blessings,
Lesa

[Norma J. Jessee]

David, this narrative whips along at a breakneck pace.
It is well-paced, well-crafted, and highly visual.
You are a master at creating a tale that will long be
remembered.
A terriffic read.

[Silent Kim aka mizmetap..]

AS usual well penned and creative.

[raining]

I have been reading other poems you have written, and this is very good. The prosaic style...readers find it comfortable. I have read the other reviewers and basicly agree with them. You have found your voice while many of us are still looking, that you could experiment with fiction, writing a prose story or a book? You must have considered this, I would encourage you to pursue that. Sort of a Hemingway style perhaps. well so long, raining.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Bravo! This poem is simply wonderful. No matter the subject, you always make it exciting, leaving me breathless between the lines with anticipation for what's to come next. I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... you are brilliant! With your heart in your pen, you will always be remembered.

Your friend in poetry,

Linda Marie Van Tassell

[Dan Bullock]

Storm-worthy writing, amazing flowing words with this intriguing injections of truth? We don't seem to know but it does not matter because it tells a tales with or without these facts. In itself, phenomenal!

[Valentine]

David..fact or fiction???It seems you have left us all guessing on this one. Your memory and braain images are so great..I wish I still had the memory for past events in history that you have even though you change them to make us sit up and take notice..Very interesting tale this time Mate..God bless..Valentine

[C.T. Bailey]

Oh, this is great! David, you are such a man of intrigue! What an awesome story. I am beginning to believe that you have seen it all and done it all! Wow. A very enjoyable read and the rhythm kept the pace flowing perfectly. One of your best pieces in my opinion...
Todd

[Wildfleour]

So, tell me, is this even a drop biographical?

Another great poem/tale. Have you submitted anything yet??????