A War Poem

A man stood on a box on a street corner
whipping up a monster of hate.
To rule the world he knew
that was to be his fate.

A Cinderella story he said
of his tiny band of shirts
to save the German Reich
to make the world speak Deutsch.

Soon he was leading a putsch
futile, but oh what a guise.
Britain and Russia and France
he would whittle them all down to size.

In prison he dictated a book.
He ranted and studied his look.
Although he was just thirty eight
already he was making them wait.

As he died Hindenburg sighed and then gasped;
tears filled evil blue eyes.
He saluted as his troops marched past.
Stukas dove down from out of the sky.

On and on it went on,
too late were the kind words from afar.
F.D.R. jumped in his skin.
It was a real war now he must win.

Panzers rumbled and rolled.
But Russia sent a winter so cold.
If not for a quirk of the weather,
...Einstein was mailing a letter.

Stalingrad!
The tide was now turning.
Tiger tanks were seen to be burning.

Ships on the sea, the Pacific
Island battles truly horrific.
Spitfires, Zeeks and Catalinas

Soldiers so young, they were screaming
Mommy, Sweet Mommy, Sweet Mommy
they all called out as they were bleeding.

On and on they kept coming.
Over live minefields they were running.
Strapped in a seat of a bomber,
huddled in subs under water.

Losses so great it was numbing.
It truly make you want to go hurl.
Normandy weather was troubling.

Leningrad, Tobruk, Dresden, and Perl

Soon ships to Europe were flowing,
In Poland fires were glowing.

Too sick was this world to imagine
On beaches soom men were a'landing.

By May it almost was over,
The pocket you see it was closing.

Somewhere it already was summer,
Flowers and daffodils were growing.

A plane took off from and island.
The atomic explosion unbelievably violent.


--- Silence ---


So I tell you
Beware of the wide awake dreamers
the loud ones, the kooks and the schemers.

Beware, beware
while you can!
Reach out for love with your hand.

Yes, beware of the wide awake dreamers,
the loud ones, the kooks and the schemers.

Remember the power of speeches and of words,
for it is on these that the fate of the world turns.

(copywright July 1999)