My daddy died of cancer
After seven years of weariness and pain
He suffered through the anguish and the torment
And he never once complained
And now five years have passed since then
And mother never lets a day go by
That she would fail to leave her chores
And saunter down to be at his grave side
Anna’s picking daisies in the meadow
And she always stays alone
She never wants to see her friends
And when they call she says she’s never home
And sometimes in the evening
When we go to bed and stars invade the sky
I lay there in the darkness
And I listen and I hear my sister cry
In the spring the soldiers came
And army trucks and tanks were in the street
I saw a lot of people there
And heard the sound of constant marching feet
They took our home and mamma
Found a little place in town for us to stay
And Anna’s always moaning
And she’s getting worse with every passing day
There’s a boy who lives nearby
Who spends his time about the market square
I know that he’s been steeling
And I told him but he doesn’t seem to care
I guess we had expected it
When Freda came and told us of her son
The soldiers caught him steeling
And they shot him when he turned and tried to run
Anna’s caught a virus
And she’s been confined to bed for a few days
She really looks so pale
And I think she look just terrible that way
The doctor came to see her
And he left the room and he was looking grim
And mothers sitting weeping
By the window and she doesn’t say a thing
Autumn leaves were falling
And the colors really looked a pretty sight
The meadows splashed and vibrant
And the many shades of pastel were so bright
The daisies Anna picked last spring
Are lying in her chest upon the floor
Ma keeps them just for memory sake
With all the others she had picked before
When the spring came round once more
And the meadows were in flower once again
Mamma went and picked them
And she sat and made a lovely daisy chain
Threading them with tenderness
Just the way that Anna use to do
She wound them and she made a cross
And put them in the chest in Anna’s room
I think the soldiers are getting wise
To what’s been going on across the way
They’ve been round here twice this week
And somehow I think it might be up today
It is an ever fearful hour
And I’m afraid they’ll cotton onto mum
Cause she’s been working over there
And someone might just tell them what she’s done
I knew it had to happen
And mamma had been arrested overnight
They set the house on fire
And the angry flames were rising in the sky
I hid as mamma told me
And I watched as she was bundled in the van
I guess it’s up to me
To try and carry on and do the best I can
4.7.1982
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Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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Again you are so goog at spinning a story in rhyme, that your attention to the end. Another good one.
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Did you read "The Book Thief" by your own Australian Markus Zuzak? I highly recommend it - your poem reminds me of its theme. Love the little daisy crown photo; we always make those in the spring.
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another fine story
I visit Germany atleast once or twice a year.
I look into the faces of the old people when they
say, "Gruss Gott," in passing.
Then I wonder, where were they then?
R. Diem
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Excellent
A well written piece that gives the reader the belief that this is a piece composed from actual experiences (well done) even though it is not. Always a pleasure to read your work (even though this is an old poem) Great
A little typo i think lines 28&32 steeling/ Stealing
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Hi, Spider. No, hardly. It was a poem I wrote after watching a movie on telly years ago. A story about a polish family under German occupation. By the way...did you watch the doco's on Hitler/speer/ and Goering? on sunday? They were brilliant.
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life experience?
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WOW!!! Such a heartfelt story. Brought tears to my eyes. You write from your heart and it's alway a pleasure to read them.
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Thank you. This was written quite a long time ago as you probably guessed from the date. I watched a movie which insp[ired it.
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I am a little confused with this one. I want to believe its a story about Ann Frank and her WW2 suffering but you write about your father and about Anna being your sister. You have written a great story in poetic form and I congratulate you, you have given me a lot to think about.
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Thanks, Bob. A poem from a while ago as you can see from the date. I watched a movie one night which was from Poland and it was a story of a polish family under the occupation of the Germans. It inspired me at the time to write this piece.
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Now I understand and the confusion is no more, thanks for sorting me out.
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Another great storywrite in rhyme. You ade so good at that..
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Thank you. I am so glad you liked this piece. Inspired by a movie I saw many years ago.
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wow this is truly deep my friend!!! You did such a lovely job portraying this piece!!!! This is so well written!!!!
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Thanks, my friend. I am so glad you liked it. It is one that I spent a lot of time working on.
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