Gallipoli

 The men stood in the trenches

waiting for that terrible sound
The shrill whistle would soon tell them to die
They stood next to their mates
.... but they each stood alone
with no one to share the fear
that tore at their guts.....

The officer stood alone....
he would not climb the ladder
Climb the ladder and look over the top
at the merciless torrent of unseen death?
No.... not him.
He would stay below to make sure
that those men would climb....
that the men would climb and die.

Why did those men accept that death?
Why should they accept those insane orders?
The stupidity of the generals
who would send the men to die.
Those deaths had no value....
The dying men bought nothing with their sacrifice.

I wonder who would the bravest be....
the one who died for nothing?
.... or the one who would challenge the officer....

If you must order us to die, then lead us!

Be the first to face those bullets....

Show us how to die.

© Ian Croft May 2021

It must have felt great!

The photo is of long ago

smiling faces all in a row

There's Alan.... and there's John...

They were so good in footy

... part of every team.

You remember the day the image was captured

... it reminds you of good times

.... and friends who shared your feelings. 

I remember the pain

The pain of hiding from those tormentors

I remember the laughing faces.... who inflicted pain

It must have felt great to do that... 

.... to trap the ones who could not hide

To hit and humiliate 

To share the feeling with mates

.... the power of knowing that the victim 

is powerless.... and weak

It must have felt great to do that. 

OK... next photo.... 

This one is a staff photo.... 

Those teachers were so good.... 

full of knowledge and encouragement. 

You remember them well. 

I remember them too..... 

I remember the teacher who delighted in the power

.... to catch those boys and to able to punish... 

to inflict pain.... 

..... swinging that length of hose 

must have felt so good. The little boys surely deserved such pain.... 

I can remember the smile on his face.... 

It must have felt great to do that. 

I wish that I could look at the photos

and feel the way that you do. 

It would feel great to do that.

© Ian Croft May 2021