This poem was written to commemorate the soldiers and families of The Great War on it's 100th Anniversary and all proceeds will be donated to The Not Forgotten Association who provide leisure and recreation opportunities for Service and ex-Service military personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force who have been wounded, who have sustained permanent injuries in the line of duty or after leaving the Service.
lyrics
Dark Skies
Dark skies hung as heavy
As a fat dog's sweaty belly
When Arthur took her hand outside the abattoir.
And to the tune of doom filled moos
Arthur bit his lip and shuffled his shoes
Before asking Mary if she would be his girl
A gas light flickered into life
At the gas lamp lighting mans first strike
Adding dancing shadows to Mary's blushing cheeks
And as Arthur waited for a yea or nay
With a half chewed lip and a nervous sway
A stray dog paused to pee upon his leg
Pretending that she hadn't seen
Arthur's pants leg start to steam
Mary swallowed a titter and replaced it with a grin
Then giving Arthur's hand a squeeze
Whilst feeling quite weak at the knees
With an eager nod she agreed to be with him
And so their courtship began with joy
The young housemaid and the slaughterhouse boy
Snatching stolen moments 'tween cleaning and killing cows
And sure enough it wasn't long
Before true love blossomed and with passions strong
They were up the aisle exchanging heartfelt vows
In a two up two down in a tiny street,
The newly weds nuptials being complete,
A few months on saw Mary with news to share
And over a jellied eel and a plate of tripe
Arthur's eyes shed tears of delight
To hear of the child that Mary would soon bear
The years passed quickly, as they do
But their love for the other just grew and grew
Bringing two more babies to join the happy clan
And whilst Arthur's pay from his slaughtering days
Just about managed to keep hunger at bay
Mary fed well from the love she held for her man
But times were changing and very soon
More dark skies, bringing doom and gloom
Would empty their bowels on the happy family scene
And as nappies were washed and grazed knees fixed
A cruel world played nasty tricks
When war broke out, incinerating hopes and dreams
One by one young soldiers left
To fight for freedom as their families wept
Never knowing as they waved them off who would come home
And so it was she stood that day
A heartbroken Mary whose tears would say
" Be safe, my Arthur, don't leave us on our own"
Still, Mary had more luck than some
Although not often Arthur's letters did come
And she'd trace a fretful finger over each word
Which, written from some mud drenched trench,
Despite the cheer Arthur's prose did attempt,
Couldn't hide the horrors of a blood soaked, mindless world
But Mary had a plan in mind
To keep her busy until such time
As Arthur's slaughtering boots would once more rest
On the threadbare rug at the side of the bed
Where she prayed each day 'till her knees nearly bled,
And she smiled the more she thought about her quest
Off to the hospital she would go
To tend to the wounded and let them know
That a caring, loving hand would help them cope
With their broken bones and their missing limbs
And their shattered minds, paying for the sins
Of those who sent them into hell without any hope
So it was, Mary walked that day
Homeward bound with a weary sway
But happy, to have served in helping those
Whose loved ones waited with baited breath
For the familiar tread upon a well worn step
As bent and buckled their heroes limped back home
It was just in passing the abattoir
That Mary's cheer began to sour
And pondering as to why she raised her eyes
To see above the darkening folds of the crumpling clouds
As they swallowed the gold of the morning's sun
To make way for sinister skies
Trying to ignore these foreboding flavours
Mary knocked on the door of her neighbour
And with a smile that belied her worry she carried on in
To cuddle her kids and to thank her friend
Upon whose kindness Mary's work did depend
But the face that greeted Mary's wore a veil of grim
The kids were chewing on their bread and jam
As Mary was passed the telegram
And a shaking hand sensed the weight of the words within
And thunder groaned and muffled the cries of a grief stricken Mary
Who, through tear soaked eyes
Read "Deeply regret..." before collapsing as her world caved in
Dark skies, thankfully, didn't last
And the sacrifices made in the Great War's pernicious past
Allowed for a peaceful new start in a troubled world
Where despite the relief and the jubilation
The human cost didn't warrant celebration
As grieving families struggled to come to terms
And as for Mary and her much loved brood
Well, times were hard but they struggled through
And on many occasion they'd wander to the abattoir
To stand on the corner where she'd reminisce
About simpler times and true loves first kiss
When the slaughterhouse boy asked the housemaid to be his girl
Now bright skies saunter overhead
As we pay our respects to the bold, brave dead
Who gave the ultimate so we could live our lives
Lives we should cherish every day
Remembering the freedom that came our way
Through the Arthur's and the others who for our sake gave up theirs.
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