Land Mine

 A grey gull hovered overhead,
 Then wisely flew away.

'In half a jiffy you'll be dead,'
 I thought I heard it say;
As there upon the railway line,
 Checking an urge to cough,
I laboured to de-fuse the mine
 That had not yet gone off.


I tapped around the time-clock rim,
 Then something worried me.

I heard the singing of a hymn:
 Nearer my God to Thee.

That damned Salvation Army band!
 I phoned back to the boys:
'Please tell them,--they will understand,--
 Cut out the bloody noise!'

Silence .
 .
 .
 I went to work anew,
 And then I heard a tick
That told me the blast was due,--
 I never ran so quick.

I heard the fury-roar behind;
 The earth erupted hell,
As hoisted high and stunned and blind
 Into a ditch I fell.


Then when at last I crawled from cover,
 My hands were bloody raw;
And I was blue and bruised all over,
 And this is what I saw:
All pale, but panting with elation,
 And very much unstuck,
There was the Army of Salvation
 Emerging from the muck.


And then I heard the Captain saying:
 ''Twas Heaven heard our pleas;
For there anight we all were praying
 Down on our bended knees.

'Twas little hope your comrades gave you,
 Though we had faith divine .
 .
 .

The blessed Lord stooped down to save you,
 But Gosh! He cut it fine.
'

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