The Rat Patrol Nostalgia
The desert sun, a shimmering hazy sheet,
A jeep's low rumble on the burning shifting heat.
That opening theme, a brassy bold fanfare,
Announcing danger hanging in the air.
Remember Troy and Moffitt, Hitchcock, Tully too,
Four rugged figures in that khaki dusty hue.
Against the Afrika Korps, a constant daring fight,
Beneath the endless canvas of the desert night.
Their battered jeeps, a symbol of their might,
Darting through the dunes in shadows and in light.
Machine guns chattering, a furious spitting sound,
As German trucks went tumbling upon the sandy ground.
The cat-and-mouse pursuit, a tense and thrilling game,
Outsmarting Rommel's forces, whispering his name
With grudging respect for cunning and for skill,
While plotting their next move on some far-off lonely hill.
That German captain Hauptmann Dietrich's stare,
A worthy adversary always lurking there.
The radio crackling voices tense and low,
As plans were hatched and traps were set to go.
Each episode a mission fraught with risk and speed,
Planting demolition answering freedom's need.
The camaraderie they shared, a bond forged in the fray, Surviving scorching days and dangers come what may.
The vast unending landscape, a character itself,
The burning thirst, the mirages on the shelf
Of distant horizons, a constant harsh reminder,
Of the brutal beauty of the land behind and yonder.
Now vintage channels flicker with that grainy, desert scene,
A nostalgic echo of heroes lean and keen.
The Rat Patrol forever in our minds they roam,
Beneath the desert stars so far away from home.
©bfa040825
Copyright ©
Bernard F. Asuncion
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