Could Do Their Bit Too

What did your relatives do in the last world war?

What battalion were they in?

What ship did they serve on?

What submarine did they crew?

Which aircraft did they navigate?

What beaches did they land on?

Where did they fight?

What great battles were they involved with?

Into where were they airlifted?

Into where did they parachute?

And to which camp were they sent?

Did they suffer much pain?

Were they repatriated?

What medals did they get?

Or where did they die?

Im proud to say my relatives didn't fight

My relatives stayed at home

They stayed at home as 'essential workers'

Digging the coal to keep the country moving

Keeping the steam powered ships ready and able to fight the enemy 

Protecting our shores

Protecting the convoys which kept us fed

Powering the trains which moved the armaments 

Moved the supplies unloaded from ships

Warming those long dark nights

Keeping those home fires burning

Doing their bit

So those who got medals

Could do their bit too

Tough

A Dad encourages his son to the healthy drinks section

then chooses an "energy drink" for himself.

Being a Dad is tough!

(Haiku)

Cafine. The wonder

drug that fixes all known ills, 

including mornings

Schrodingers Ambulance

Rather than taking poorly people to the people hospital

it is itself being taken to the ambulance hospital on the back of a breakdown truck.

It is at the same time both an ambulance

yet not an ambulance!

Violation

Violation

'The action of violating an item

or a person

or a place'

a breach

an invasion

an infringement or infraction

an intrusion 

a break in

a forced entry into a private space

a violation of something private

somewhere they shouldn't be

somewhere personal

special

loved

cared for

worked hard for

a place where we once felt safe

treated with irreverence 

stripped of its trust and security

defiled and desecrated 

not the items taken

the trinkets and mementos 

not that which is tangible 

more 

that which is within

the memories defiled 

the feeling of safety 

intruded

the loss of that feeling that this is our fortress

our castle

our safe place to be 

a place where we can be us

our own space...

now gone

Grandad Enjoy It

Who smokes a pipe these days

my Grandad used to smoke a pipe

he kept all his smoking paraphernalia in a pouch 

smoking a pipe was such a ceremony

the pouch contained a tin of unrubbed tobacco

rubbed and ready to use tobacco was loose in the bottom

a box of swan matches 

and he had pipe cleaners

as kids we never knew what pipe cleaners were for but we had great fun making models with them

he also had a pipe smokers penknife

the penknife had a blade at one end and a tamper at the other 

this was an important part of the ceremony 

Grandad would carefully cut up the solid roll of tobacco with the blade

then he'd rub it with his fingers inside of the pouch making it ready for use

then he'd carefully and precisely load the pipe bowl with a measure of tobacco

and using the tamper 

he'd push the tobacco firmly into the bowl

I can still hear him drawing hard on the pipe

and the strike of the match on the box

I can see the lit match hovering over the bowl

the flame disappearing into the pipe  with every draw

as he did

his lips would smack on the mouthpiece

then

once successfully lit 

he'd expel the smoke with great triumph into the air with his head tilted back.

he also have a large silver lighter 

the lighter had been presented to him by his work mates at the pit where he'd spent most of his working life

the large engraved lighter stayed on the side table 

it was part of the ceremony 

but was rarely used

we'd occasionally light it

once lit and functioning well

a look of great pleasure came across his face as he dragged purposefully on the pipe

the smoke which filled the room didn't seem to bother anyone

I can smell it now

it was just what happened when Grandad smoked his pipe

anyway

Grandad enjoyed it