Apocalypse Now

A century of war - have we learned anything?

apocalypse now

 

Our masters of war say

‘defence of the realm!’

No bloody way!

Dare we believe them?

Offence, more like!

 

(What’s the threat tae us

that live in our wee place

that we call home, Scotland

Forced tae marry in 1707

A marriage o’ inconvenience

And definitely not made in heaven!)

 

The great English Empire

By guile and by force

Once waived the rules

To rule the waves

from east to west

from Cairo tae Cape

a link

o’ pink

o’ pillage and rape

 

Now just o’er a hundred years

since Orville and Wilbur’s flight

Just one wee glide for the brothers Wright

But a big step fur mankind

(Thanks Neil, for these future words!)

now we all can fly like the birds!

 

Just a few years on and

Edwardian ‘jollies’ forgot

The distant death o’ an Archduke

Will make young men puke   

With fear in muddy trench

The Kaiser’s lads

gin French poilu’s    (poilu - a French’Tommy’)

and British lions

and donkeys, scions

O’ Dukes and Earls

 

Home for Christmas lads!

Four long years later a sick joke

Tae make them still living bauk   (bauk �"sick)

below in trench

The putrid stench

o’ death, the flying

Machines just trying

Tae blast the f**k out o’ the

Poor b******s below

Wi’ gun and bomb.

 

God’s our aid our masters say

But is it not a wee bit strange

that our god is aiding the Germans

too, while Tommys and Hermans

are both being blown to mince!

Either God does not care or

There is no god!

 

For four long years

They fought to a standstill

The war to end all wars

But a generation on, a sick joke!

No peacebuilding

But crippling reparations

and hyperbloodyinflation

gave Adolph a toehold

Mein Kampf foretold

Of Crystalnacht and horrors

unimaginable tae come

Arbeit macht frei!

 

Cowed by Nazi thugs

Appeasement, nae hugs

for Aryan kin

Chamberlain waved

His wee white flag

O’ surrender

Saying ‘do what you’re told!’

But brave Poland proved the final line

It was war in our time!

 

It’s no surprise peace did not last

Poor Poland’s fate had faded fast

To face the Hun we’re soon alone,

but up above the skies of Kent

young lives are spent

brave lads spit-fire

at 109’s, inspire

Churchill’s oratory

but things soon take a nasty turn

our Lanc’s the German cities burn

firestorms consume

all pretence

at defence!

And warn o’ future hells.

 

Meanwhile, far to the east

An ocean Pacific in name only

Is consumed by death

until at last war’s done

Atomic hell unleashed

America’s warning

We are the masters!

 

The war after the war

that ended all wars is over

What next?

 

but hold on the now

there’s no rest for the wicked

uncle Joe’s not up for the cricket

the world’s divided

peace gone for a Burton

when the commies put up

their red velvet curtain

and mutually assured destruction

is the new MAD religion     

 

Again for our airmen

There’s no bloody rest

their Lightnings are scrambled  (Lightning -British fighter)

to Badger the Bear, gambled      (Badger and Bear -Russian bombers)

wi’ our nerve o’er the North Sea

 

This time, for us, the battles

near home, are not fought

But the cold war gets hot

Far away round the world

Korea, Vietnam, Middle East

Proxy wars, the cowardly beast

That kills millions!

 

For fifty years we quiver on the brink

But then it’s all over in a wink

O’ Gorby’s eye

And the wall’s down for good!

 

Peace in our time?

Have you not learned!

There’s a new battle now

But there’s no front line

It’s for oil, from the sand!

Keep it flowing, our demand

Insatiable consumption

There’s no liberation

From greed!

 

Now we’ve had Nine eleven

The bombers in heaven

- or hell? Because

They follow a cause

Which should

make us take pause

To ask ourselves why

young men are willing to die?

 

The answer is vital

So think on it well

US meddling in matters

Leaves all things in tatters!

 

Now the future has come

And its not so dumb

just young kids

honed on X box, and vid’s

but now sit with their joysticks

playing real games

with touchscreen and mouse

with real people

a continent away

and hold sway

over life and death

 

a glint in the sky

is all the warning

on a bright eastern morning

of a drone peering down

friend or foe

does it matter

when you’re just

a click o’ the mouse

away from death

 

whose judgement o’ guilt?

too late for the innocent

blood is spilt!

in the sand

but there’s no demand

for justice

just another ten disciples

to hate the ‘great satan’

 

but I think by now

you’ll be catching the drift

there’s no end tae the killing

just new ways of blowing

the f**k out of each other

 

but now the point’s past

and our time’s running out

our earth’s far too hot

the sun hazy from fires

the smoke from the pyres

the four horsemen

are abroad in each land

 

thirst, famine, death, war

a’ things we abhor

 

apocalypse now

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

'Apocalypse Now'alangraham,
We mourn the way of death, followed by greed, lack mercy. Your above list covered much but I am sure ancient peoples would of had there own list tool Life and death; the contrast is so realistic and harsh in war.
You did well to remind that with this is the need for a wake up call to be thankful for what we have and to remember, hope and pray for the hurting, the hungry and oh so much more.
Blessings,
Kathy

[alanwgraham]

Many thanks Kathy. I wrote this when I was manic so it is very raw and direct. It is a tragedy that war and killing seem never-ending. We are so lucky to be living in relative peace when not too far away others pass their lives in war and destruction. Surely we could do better! Thanks again for your comments Kathy and I hope all goes well with you. It would be so nice if this was a real cafe where we could just drop in and chat.
All the best.
ALan

[Norman 223]

I think you have hit on the whole problem here. Unless a person is directly involved, then it's someone else's problem. Ban computer games and there would be a riot. I saw the war from two sides. As a kid living in the air raid shelter and seeing human carnage, then as a late teenager, being sent to Germany with the Army and seeing the same destruction and human deprivation of the civilian "enemy" over there .
Military padres convincing us that ours was a "just" war, whilst German padres were presumably preaching the same message.
You have covered all these points very forcefully , Alan. But whether there is a solution ???
You may like to read my "Peace on our Terms" , which carried a similar message.

[alanwgraham]

Thanks for looking at this Norman. I value this review because I was sure that you would have the range of life experience to be able to comment in a meaningful way. I just discovered recently that my father went to see Hiroshima just after the bombing but he never spoke about it to us. His friend Norman that he went with decided to speak about their visit just last year. My story walking to zero is based on their experience. I will look forward to reading your peace on our terms.
Thanks again,
Alan