FLASHBACK

I look up in to Granddads eyes

Which were once the colour of clear blue skies

To ask, I am forbidden

But I see the stories hidden

He once was a happy man, I know

But now his eyes have lost their glow

Sunday night was cold and still

We all felt the winter chill

Granddad was sitting by the fireplace

The flames lit up his burdened face

I looked up at him, nothing more

And he told his story of the war

Now seventy-nine, a tired old man

He tells his story best he can…

“Way back in 1939, I was only seventeen

The horror to come, I had not yet seen

The need to protect my country was an urge I could not fight

As I set off as a soldier, I thought that it was right

I bid farewell to my family- we embraced as I said goodbye

And as the train started moving, I saw my mother cry

I fought back the tears- to cry would be wrong

I was a soldier now- I had to be strong

I sat there believing we’d win straight away

How naive I was, thinking back to that day

Training camp was hard- six weeks of sweat and noise

We thought it made us better men- we were still delusional boys

After that, we were off to fight

Every day and every night

We started as boys who thought we’d be winning

But how could we assume? It was only the beginning

The days went by like a knife to the heart

I didn’t feel like I did at the start

The worst day of my life was when my best friend died

It was me who killed him, and I was numb inside

The reality of war became too much to bare

How was this happening? It wasn’t fair

Bodies everywhere- blood and dirt and death

Lucky to take in another breath

Years of fighting, and what the hell for?

Nothing could compare to the things we saw

But then it stopped- the Second World War ended in 1944

How to react, I wasn’t quite sure

We had won, but it didn’t matter after all this while

And I can’t say it even made us smile

We were changed men- our faces dull

Lucky to have a body, a skull

We couldn’t go back, I knew deep within

I killed people, kids…I hoped God would forgive my sin

Now, as I am, I’ve learnt to cope

And you, my son, have given me hope

For you make me happy when the memories start to flow

And now you understand- my story you now know”

So Grandad finished his story- I think he might have a cry

He feels a lot better now- There’s a twinkle back in his eye