Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Terror


THREE WORD WEDNESDAY
'jerk, carnage, puncture'

The second I read this week's words an incident from my childhood came to mind.

TERROR
(A True Account from Long Ago)

I was eight.
Old enough to fear War, 
But not old enough to rationalise.
For weeks we had known War was 'coming'.
Now it had come.
*
'The Prime Minister will address the nation'.
That was all it took.
In my eyes, 'it' was upon us.
*
I remember rushing out of the house,
And up to the top of our small garden,
To the Bicycle Shed.
I locked myself in.
*
Because I knew that words were going to be said
Which would unleash carnage.
And it would be carnage in my street.
Immediately.
*
The German troops would march up Connaught Road.
And I would die.
*
The emotion I felt was terror.
*
My father's bicycle stood up-ended
In the middle of the shed.
A puncture was in mid-repair.
*
With a jerk I began to spin the wheel,
Faster, faster, faster,
In an orgy of terror.
It was like running away,
But being trapped.
*
At last my father tapped at the door.
'Let me in' he said,
'Everything's all right'.
*
And it was.
*
But not for Ann Frank.
*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE GRINDLY WITCH!

The grindly witch sat in the slarve,
Scrawning her splintly schemes,
She cordled her fload
Like a randled poad
And stirred the smilty plemes.
'Oh grindly witch' I grozzled then
'How can you pleft alone?'
Said she 'I'm doomed
To be befloomed
For the Trant turned me into stone!'

*

6 comments:

Ramesh Sood said...

Oh, the the last line took my breath away.. came from 3ww after a long time..

Sheilagh Lee said...

War is scary. love the grindly witch as well

MaryA said...

This is a very moving piece using the 3WW. I am grateful that things turned out okay for you.

Altonian said...

Nice reminiscence, if nice is the right word. I was six at the time, and had to listen to my 52 year old father arguing furiously that he should return to the navy at once. Fortunately my mother won the argument, and he stayed at home.

Anonymous said...

More words i gather here, its wonderful to read your write as always. Thanks for sharing an insight into the War days as we cherish freedom today.

Berowne said...

Always good to read something from someone who was there, especially when it's well written...