Her Privates We

I. Over there

 

A flurry of movement suddenly

and we are seaborne

bound for some port of call

on the soil of France

some yelling

some cheering

the lads are rearing for it

they want a fight

and if the Germans knew

we were coming

Kaiser himself would take poison

 

landfall

and its raining

sodden marching

ne’er a man in step

but someone up front

sings an old pub song

tho’ we are wet

through and through

there’s cheer

and song

and the rhythm of our

bayonets’ clicking

in time against our web

for now

it is good

 

II. A soldier of the line

 

Tonight

amidst the thunder of the guns

I awoke again

to the feeling of soft tickling

brushing against my face

brushing against my ears

for a moment

it could have been the lace

some naughty lingerie

that my wife had e’er so

discreetly bought

Rats!  And with a start I am sitting up

brushing the vermin from my chest

slapping about

I cannot sleep now

no not a wink

 

Jennings is on watch

over the parapet

all night long

you stare into the darkness

of no-mans land

waiting for movement in the wire

I can see him standing there

head down

rifle to the ready

 

‘Jerry is getting some hell tonight’

Jennings says

and another thud

and another thud

and another shake

and another flash-boom-flash-boom

illuminate the night sky

and even from this distance

we feel tiny bits of earth

rain down on us

I cannot help but to think

my god

there’ll be nothing left for us to take

 

III. Over the Top

 

Whistle

Go! Go! Go!

Jennings-Conner-McDonald-Rourke-Me-Thompson-Powers-Lerner-Blake-Kelville-Ford

Jennings-Conner-Rourke-Me-Thompson-Powers-Lerner-Blake-Kelville-Ford

Jennings-Conner-Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Blake-Ford

Some one shouts ‘I thought the arty had done the bloody job!’

Jennings-Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Blake-Ford

Jennings-Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Blake-Ford

1000 feet to go

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Blake-Ford

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Ford

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Lerner-Ford

Smoke in our way

We cannot see the enemy wire

that isn’t supposed to be there

oh god oh god oh god

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Ford

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Ford

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Ford

Rourke-Me-Thompson-Ford

I cannot hear the guns any more

only the blood rushing in my ears

oh god oh god oh god

Rourke-Me-Ford

Rourke-Me-Ford

Almost there lads

Almost there!

The Bosch’s arty opens up

Scream! Whine!

Me-Ford

Me-Ford

M-

 

 

IV. Madness

I thought I was in heaven

when the bright light

came and took the darkness

but it was just a starbright

casting its phosphorescent beauty aglow

over this shell hole

there are four here with me

gibbering Lieutenant

dead Ford

putrescent German

and for a while now

I’ve laid on my back

looked at the stars

gibbering Lieutenant started

chewing first on his fingernails

now gnawing on his fingers to bloody stumps

he asked me

‘Private, private, where are all the men?’

and I could only shrug;

resigned, quiet, numb

‘All gone, sir’

he stepped away from me

muttering and gibbering

about a walk to their lines

no resistance whatsoever

I must try to make it back to the line

before I start muttering

gibbering

chewing my fingers so

he’s talking now to Dead Ford

now to Putrescent German

I’ve got to make it back to the line

I start to cry

 

 

V. Madness redux

 

Whistle

 

--william paris