Best Evacuated Poems
At
Dunkirk,
where thousands
of stranded men
lined a bloody beach,
hope was draining with each
air strike delivered by the
unrelenting Germans’ aircraft.
Cold, starved, and injured men watched from shore -
their few rescue ships being bombed and sunk.
How must they have felt knowing their homeland
was so close – and yet so far away?
Horrific days passed when at last
brave civilians came with boats,
so it was that ten times
the number of those
not expected
to live were
instead -
SAVED.
Aug. 16, 2017: Double Etheree written for
JPContest 6: WAR AND HEROISM Contest
From Wikipedia:
The Dunkirk evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940.
The operation commenced after large numbers of British, French, and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the Battle of France. In a speech to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this "a colossal military disaster", saying "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured.
On the first day only 7,669 men were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 soldiers had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 boats. Many troops were able to embark from the harbour's protective mole onto 39 destroyers of the British Royal Navy, 4 Royal Canadian Navy destroyers,] and civilian merchant ships, while others had to wade out from the beaches, waiting for hours in shoulder-deep water. Some were ferried to the larger ships by what came to be known as the little ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats called into service from Britain. In his We shall fight on the beaches speech on 4 June, Churchill hailed their rescue as a "miracle of deliverance".
Let me tell you a sad story, a true story . . .
In another time, under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi
Party, millions deemed undesirable were murdered, including children,
imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps or were
shot, or hanged. The first exterminations of prisoners took place in the
month of September, 1941. Those not killed in the gas chambers died
of starvation, forced labor, disease, self inflicted death, and medical
experiments. Prisoners were forced to staff the gas chambers. After they
were dead the bodies were burned in ovens or tossed into pits like garbage.
They had stripped them of their clothes, stripped them of all dignity.
Piles of shoes, clothing, eyeglasses, suitcases even baby things taken.
Today those things are in museums to honor forever the millions of dead.
Hundreds of Germans staffed the camps but only 12% have been convicted
of war crimes. Auschwitz was liberated on January 27, 1945 but most of
the population had been evacuated and sent on a death march. All this,
was in another time. Hopefully the world has learned from this horrific
time in history. Black and white pictures of unimaginable scenes are
witness to what happened during the years 1933 to 1945. But the scenes
I see on the news seem that the world has not learned the lesson well and
leave me weeping and weeping for those who suffer.
I saw an image
of a women with children-
death their destiny
____________________________
July 14, 2016
Poetry/Narrative/Senryu/Weeping Still
Copyright Protected, ID 16-808-673-07-14
All Rights Reserved. Written under Pseudonym.
Submitted to the contest, Any Poem Written in 2016
sponsor, Laura Loo
Third Place
Help me save just one
They are so many
I have reason for no gun
I refuse the use of any
Use me to carry him
On my back to safety
It’s now dark, dim
Just one, help me
To what am I assigned
Why am I here, if not for Thee
These men are left behind
Show them mercy, I implore
To what extent, oh dear Lord
Please God, just one more
They are wounded, dying
Hear my plea, just one more
He was a conscientious objector
He would be the first to be awarded the Medal of Honor
He for his actions in Okinawa for his service in World War II
His religious convictions as a Seventh-day Adventist
He refused to carry a weapon
He initially faced opposition, persecution
He would be ridiculed from his fellow soldiers
He ultimately won their admiration by demonstrating courage
He served as a combat medic
He refused to kill an enemy soldier
He chose military service 1942, at Camp Lee, Virginia
He was awarded two Bronze Star Medals with a "V" device
His exceptional valor in aiding wounded soldiers under fire, honored
He saved the lives of 75 wounded infantrymen
He was evacuated on May 21, 1945, aboard the USS Mercy
He was Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss (1919 –2006)
British people asked for 30 minutes to eat their breakfast before being evacuated from Terrorist Threat.
When in Britain I like to sit down
To a full English breakfast when I go into town
With sausages bacon eggs and beans
And a cup of tea down the hatch what a lovely scene
But this morning whilst at my repast
A police officer wanted evacuation ‘til the danger had past
For a terrorist with a suicidal vest was outside
Wanting to kill in his mayhem for his 15 minute ride
You see my breakfast had just been served
And to not eat it when hot - what a nerve
So I asked for 30 minutes to finish the meal
You see terrorism and tucker don’t mix in the breakfast deal.
© Paul Warren Poetry
These long sleepless nights
Waiting to hear
That hot red dragon so near
No way to know
While you fight its fury
I lay here and worry
It devours acres by thousands
Leaving black charcoal embers
And vacant faces with no place to go
The dragon said so
Evacuated
The last word we spoke
Your home now filled with smoke
While you fight the dragon - is there hope?
These long sleepless nights
Waiting to hear
That hot red dragon so near
Today brought the call
I've waited days to hear
You're ok and gone is my fear
Thank God for His blessings....
©Donna Jones
*for my sister, a voluntary firefighter in CO...
this will be good and slippery
in a whistling fall from grace
feel free to edit in a picture of your choice
the more grotesque the more accurate
while glancing at your wrist watch
over and over when you knew
your 30 seconds was up centuries ago
we agree to be controlled
he said speaking in archetypes
here then is my plan for world conquest
say Bob that was some intro
right you are Nick
and just what the tired evacuated
non combatants at home needed
you know Bob our audience should be issued guns
right you are Bill the results would be immediate
h-h-h-howdy there f-f-fans
g-g-glad to see you all p-p-packin
ha ha ha ha ha good one Bill
who does your thinking for you by the way
OK you've been briefed
if I wrote as few words as possible
the page would be blank
and useless as a postmodern hit man
speculating on the utility of spectacles
driven by a fear of the ordinary
in an ideological trance
at this point it could go either way
even reality is an approximation of reality
but there is no question of stopping
onward he plunged sarcastically
into a semiotic twilight of the gods
everything red shifted in a bar stool curse
too many crevasses on this ice berg
blinded by white phosphorous
receptors wide open overt and undeniable
incorrect labeling why is it a necessity
would you know your number
if your number was up
he stood before his firing squad
snickering and giggling and rolling his eyes
got a last cigarette
I have to smoke I'm a witch
the squad broke up with laughter
pissed their pants
and shot the lieutenant
if I'm in this much trouble now
God help me tomorrow
From "Engine of Didactic Beauty" available on Amazon
Artist Portfolio: http://walteralter.byethost32.com/
Humans have long trespassed
and destroyed animal territories
Humans have poached
And selfishly encroached
upon animal habitats
cutting down trees to build
human habitations.
Now the tables have turned
Humans are quarantined in house arrest
while some lie sick in bedrest
So animals not usually seen are having a fields day
roaming upon roads, crossing the streets.
Reclaiming the once jungle lands,
that had been turned into concrete urban jungles.
It's better that busy humans now become photoholic
than forever queueing
in lines of heavy traffic.
Without human pollution,
nature is all the more photogenic
Mother nature all a creation of God
has now had many of us grounded
as she gives us a hiding
while we go into hiding.
Extraordinary turn of events indeed!!
In several countries round the world:
Discos and casinos vacated
Pubs and nightclubs evacuated
Bars shutdown for lockdown
People are behind bars instead of guzzling beer in bars
and instead of animals behind bars.
Humans compelled to hibernate
so animals busted their cell gate
Priorly animals were in an enclosure
Now they are getting free exposure
Self-centred humans cared mostly about themselves
but now the animal kingdom is the cynosure
Animals were shut in cages
and now human activity is under similar closure.
Ah, this corona crisis!
Is all this mercenary stasis
for humans a roasting nemesis?
A heavy price to pay for rapacious carelessness and arrogance
where humans acted like they are in control, like they
are controllers of this planet
and they could do anything they wish with it.
It's ignorance to think all this is mere coincidence.
Im relieved our Islamic prayers can be said any place, anywhere
to kneel and bow to the one true real sustainer of the universe.
We need to invoke and supplicate to the creator
who is still in control...
as prayer can really truly prevent fear and anxiety in such scary times.
"I suddenly realised that coincidence is a word we use when we are ignorant of the real causes." - Albert Salvadó
(I was impressed by the news story in which Kuwait had sent a special plane to Italy to specially evacuate their nationals from there when Italy was heavily stricken with the corona virus)
August, it's late in the month,it's been many years
but a quiver is felt in the earth, in southern Colorado.
Some folks slept right through it, others felt it and
realized what was happening, An Earthquake. Was this
meant to be?
Maybe....Mother's Angry
The very next day, in the part of our Country, where
our Country began. Mid morning and again the earth
began to quiver, then shake. Buildings were evacuated,
The Capital... Evacuated, bricks loosened and felled, Why ?
Maybe... Mother's Angry
The following week, calm was interrupted by darkness,
hail, lightening, tidal surges, flooding, devastation and death.
New York as well as New England as a whole felt the wrath
of a storm named Irene, 43 dead...Why?
Maybe...Mother's Angry
The day after Irene, was the anniversary of yet another storm,
where the sky grew dark, hail, floods and people died, Her name was
Katrina. The Northern Gulf States felt her wrath. Why?
Maybe... Mother was Angry
Throughout the history of Mankind, we have done with this Planet as we will.
We dug and drilled into her womb for her resources, we have deforested, not only
for lumber for space but mostly for necessity, which turned to GREED. As any other
living thing, it takes and takes and takes being abused for just so long, and then
It Gets Angry! Guess What !
Mother's Angry !
Let me tell you a sad story, a true story . . .
Maybe some of my facts are not exactly right on,
maybe some of my dates are off, but the story is true.
In another time under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi
Party, millions deemed undesirable were murdered, including children.
Imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps or were
shot or hanged. The first extermination of prisoners took place in the
month of September, 1941. Those not killed in gas chambers died
of starvation, forced labour, disease, self-inflicted death, and medical
experiments. Prisoners were forced to staff the gas chambers, After they
were dead the bodies were burned in ovens or tossed into pits like garbage.
They had stripped them of their clothes, stripped them of all dignity.
Piles of shoes, clothing, eyeglasses, suitcases even baby things taken.
Today these things are in museums to honor forever the millions of dead.
Hundreds of Germans staffed the camps but only 12% have been convicted
of war crimes. Auschwitz was liberated on January 27, 1945 but most of
the population had been evacuated and sent on a death march. All this,
was in another time. Hopefully the world has learned from this horrific
time in history. Black and white pictures of unimaginable scenes are
witness of what happened during the years, 1933 to 1945. But, the scenes
leave me weeping and weeping for those who suffered in the Holocaust.
I saw an image-
of a women with children walking-
death was their journey's end
____________________________
Re-write from July 14, 2016
(Weeping Still)
Have you ever felt such a silken mist? A shower of rain that can cleanse the soul? Have you ever reached up to touch God on the face and He converted your heart instantly? Have you ever wondered what heaven was all about and was drawn to it more than ever now? Showers of love pour out from the heart of our Creator.
The Latter Rain is a supernatural rain. It is the outpouring of the love of God. The Latter Rain is a mist of affection, a last minute call upon the hearts of His divine creation. Yes, this rain shower, this shower of his affection, is just for you. It was planned this way since the beginning of time, and here we are standing side by side soaking up the wondrous presence of God. He is all around us as He blankets us with His mighty love.
Have you ever wanted to tell someone how much you love them and yet you couldn't find the words to speak? You always became tongue-tied over praying with others, but somehow your prayers come more easily? This is the outpouring of the mist of the essence of God. This is the Latter Rain.
Put your umbrellas away and dance through the rain. Dance as though you don't care who is watching. Let your face get moistened first and then your hair. Run through the streets professing your love for God. He is the maker of rain! He is the maker of your heart too! This is the Festival of the Latter Rain!
The Lord has chosen Kenya to be the first country to receive the outpouring of this rain, although the mist began several weeks ago all across this planet... It has been experienced by many of the end time's workers as jolts of Holy Spirit electricity that have come down from the throne room of God. It is in every city upon this planet. It will drench every person that reaches up to experience God during these latter days. Pray for the lost. Pray for those who do not care for the things of God. Perhaps the Latter Rain will be their last chance to receive the wonderful love of our Creator. Once the rapture of the bride of Christ has occurred, the Latter Rain will go away. It will be like a cool mist that has also evacuated the earth. A glorious fog that will dissipate.
Reach up to God and allow His Holy Presence to touch you and your loved ones. Experience the Latter Rains today! Ask Him to show you and He will!
Joel 2:23, Zechariah 10:1, James 5:7
Written by Gwendolen Rix
2-7-15
The Hurricane was Harvey
By Franklin Price
8/31/2017
The hurricane was Harvey, what an unassuming name
Left the western Yucatan. across the Gulf he came
Building up his power to a category four
Slammed into the Texas coast with wind, and rain, and more
Coming into Rockport with winds one thirty some
Evacuate or hunker down, to damage he has come
He leveled many buildings, and shut the power down
He sent his rains to Houston, to sit there and to pound
Houston, a large city, fourth largest in the land
Rained so hard, in hours, was no dry place to stand
Rained a record fifty inches, that's the Roman numeral L
Overflowed the bayous, made life a living hell
Few had evacuated, of six million people plus
Would have been impossible, a traffic jamming fuss
Bumper to bumper everywhere with auto, truck and bus
Would even make the best of us, wring our hands and cuss
The water rose, it did not stop, covered roads from fork to fork
More area than the cities of Chicago and New York
No one quite expected Harvey to sit and pour
Until the first floors flooded and headed for the second floor
Water, many places, flowing fast and overhead
Rescue workers needed or thousands would be dead
Boats and trucks and copters came to do the work
Reminiscent of the rescue, of the soldiers, at Dunkirk
The heroes came from everywhere, left their families and friends
To risk their lives for others, and the rescuing begins
Hour after hour, from rooftops, trees and cars
Stranded ones were rescued by strangers from afar
The Cajun Navy from Louisian, the governor called the guard
Florida sent their Fish and Game, rescuing long and hard
Soon more than thirty thousand were brought to drier land
Rescuers so exhausted that they could hardly stand
Still they kept on going on helping all of those in need
And took them to the shelters where they could sleep and feed
Some died in the effort, not all in need were found
Some rescuers gave their all, and no longer are around
This is what life is all about, the way that it should fall
We should respond to others' needs, for the better good of all
Think about your fellow man, in all you do and say,
Don't be the Harvey victim, be the rescuer today.
Exracted from Gerald Nforche's Epic, The Slave's Tale
-Duala, RIOS DOS CAMEROES, 1787-
One fine morning, when love birds flew and sang
And the valleys with every gaiety rang,
The sun just setting from a misty east
We had visitors from the waters’ midst.
Our fishermen were out spreading their nets
Though broken, could entangle fish’s legs
When they saw at the horizon, approaching
A large house, like none ever seen, smoking.
Smoke exited from large horizontal
Mouths, like some fire within wood and metal.
Very huge flapping leaves hung on large ropes
Made us shiver, staggered with every lope.
And as the large house ebesse approached
Our fine archers were ready for the broach:-
Scouts scanned from the nearest hill and informed
The djanewa for any quick reform.
Village criers had announced the fall ’f war
Within which those who could lift arms no more,
Women and children wide-eyed with fear
Were evacuated to our secret lair.
And in the waters deep ebesse stopped
Emitting a loud cry: come watch us hop
Our blood about to clot from our within:-
Wood and metal kicking, crying in the wind.
Many canoes splashed into the waters
And creatures with sacks fell in from ladders
And rowed towards us, towards our very shores.
We kept the watch, canoes following a course.
Minutes soon, at the very shores they came
We watching baffled, belligerent lame.
Fifteen they were, hairy, brown and long nosed
Not unlike pale pigs in the valleys noosed.
Large brown bowls perched on their massive heads,
Noted by us as they poured out in herds
From their dancing canoes. Pipes hung from mouths
As tobacco was devoured and feet jingled loud.
And we understood they were some traders:-
We had heard their chilling news from gossipers
Who’d spoken of the magic of these men
Who had come by wind, traded and returned.
And from the gossip that ran a-wild,
We‘d gathered the name made for them from sight:
They looked burnt, like they were once like us
We called them mokala for we were at a loss.
With the prodigious group were our brothers:
We shared the same skin, they were no rioters
Save they spoke with mokala like mutineers:-
We watching, bemused straining with all ears.
A troop marched forward expressing might
Mokala watching unsettled, wide-eyed
Befuddlement on their very black lips:
Pity spelled in their eyes, daggers on their hips.
You worked so hard but just exist.
Your high school grad dates you just missed,
evacuated from Ukraine.
In Russia’s army to resist,
you fought the tyrant Hitler’s reign.
You worked so hard but just exist
on meager pensions. You subsist
by choosing food or meds, that’s plain.
No other kinfolks to assist
in taking care of you in midst
of tears and shakes of flashback strain,
you worked so hard but just exist!
Although you made your job’s A-list,
you now wear rags, your joints in pain,
no other kinfolks to assist.
Your teeth all gone, in life’s mean twist,
these lines remain your grim refrain:
You worked so hard but just exist,
no other kinfolks to assist.
To help elderly Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union, visit the website of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews at ifcj.org.
This is like a red moon.
This is like a total eclipse.
The sun becomes black.
SIX MONTHS OF DARKNESS
The gloom occurred during noon unexpectedly.
The media states the world is in Armageddon.
This has been formed from the unknown God.
The world becomes tense.
A universe is in darkness.
It does not affect utilities until the darkness coagulates.
Mania displays on faces.
Children sit quietly.
Crime is on the streets.
The police sirens are heard from a distance.
Looting for no reason because the natural disaster is darkness.
No homes are lost.
No souls are at stake.
The cities and towns are not evacuated.
However, weather is onset.
The stars shine.
The moon they surround.
Time is of the utmost importance.
Foremost, is the day is not in appearance.
The weather person does not know what to tell.
The media is the forerunner of what has occurred everywhere.
Life moves on.
________________|
Penned April 21, 2014
For Dr. Ram Mehta Contest Darkness At Noon
Wildfire season - I inhale, and choke
On fiery air, try to blink away haze
But all the sunlight is full of smoke
Drizzling embers fall in a burning dose
Like stealthy predators, they come too close
Swallowing the land in a scarlet blaze
Leaving us homeless and broke
(this is a repost from a poem of mine from 2018 - I reposted it because the county in Oregon where I live is currently under a level 2 evacuation, which means 'be ready to leave on a moment's notice' - my niece and her family already evacuated. So this is more resonant to me today then when I first wrote it~)