Poem

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Bob Pacey
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Poem

Post by Bob Pacey » Wed Aug 19, 2015 6:46 pm

This place they call Tobruk

Theres places that I've been in
I didn't like too well,
Now Englands far too blooming cold
And Wintons hot as hell;
The Walgett beer is always warm
In each theres something crook
But each and all are perfect to
This place they call TOBRUK.

We reckoned El Agheila
Was none too flash a place,
El Abiar and Beda Fomm
Weren't in the bloody race,
At the towns this side Bengasi
We hadn't time to look
But I'll take my oath they're better than
This place they call TOBRUK.

I've seen some dust storms back at home
That made the house wives work
Here theres enough inside our shirts
To smother all of Bourke.
Two diggers cleaned their dug out
And their blankets out they shook
Two Colonels perished in the dust
In this place they call TOBRUK.

Theres militant teetotallers
Who abhor all kinds of drink
Theres wives who break good bottles
And pour them down the sink,
This place would suit them to the ground
We've searched in every nook
But booze is rare as hen's teeth in
This place they call TOBRUK.

Theres centipedes like pythons
And theres countless hordes of flees,
As big as poodle dogs they come
A snapping round your knees,
And scorpions large as A.F.V's
Come out to have a look,
Theres surely lots of livestock in
This place they call TOBRUK.

The shellings nice and frequent
And they whistle overhead
You go into your dugout
And find shrapnel in your bed
And when the Stukas dive on us
We never pause to look
We're down our holes like rabbits in
This place they call TOBRUK.

Sometimes we go in swimming
And float about at ease
The water clear as crystal
And a nice clean salty breeze
When down comes blasted Hermann
And we have to sling our hook
We dive clean to the bottom in
This place they call TOBRUK.

I really do not think this place
Was meant for me and you
Lets return it to the Arab
And he knows what he can do
We'll leave the God forbidden place
Without one backward look
We've called it lots of other names
This place they call TOBRUK.

Hugh Paterson ( Banjos Son )
Last edited by Bob Pacey on Sat Aug 22, 2015 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The purpose in life is to have fun.
After you grasp that everything else seems insignificant !!!

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alongtimegone
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Re: Poem

Post by alongtimegone » Thu Aug 20, 2015 9:28 am

Thought it was yours until I reached the end Bob. Very funny.

Heather

Re: Poem

Post by Heather » Thu Aug 20, 2015 5:21 pm

Me too. I thought it had potential with a tweak here and there! :lol:

r.magnay
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Re: Poem

Post by r.magnay » Fri Aug 21, 2015 8:28 am

As funny as that may sound Heather, I sometimes wonder if that is where we are headed on here sometimes, looking for things that are wrong with a piece rather than just enjoying it for what it is... :)
Ross

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Bob Pacey
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Re: Poem

Post by Bob Pacey » Fri Aug 21, 2015 8:55 am

I just thought it was great to find a piece by Banjos son just shows the fruit does not fall far from the tree.


Yes Roos I agree . When you write for fun and enjoyment occasionally a typo may slip through and to my mind if they do not detract from the poem well bugger it.

Oh you can always send a private pm if they really niggle ya.

Bob
The purpose in life is to have fun.
After you grasp that everything else seems insignificant !!!

Heather

Re: Poem

Post by Heather » Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:12 am

I thought the poem was great but found it jarred in a couple of places - whether that was from a typo or a clunk in the metre I don't know. The poem was funny though.

Heather :)

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Maureen K Clifford
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Location: Ipswich - Paul Pisasale country and home of the Ipswich Poetry Feast
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Re: Poem

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:31 am

I've got a few poems of Hughs coming up in the mag Bob - not much was known about him - not even where he was buried - apparently he wrote a fair bit of poetry to keep the blokes spirits up when he was in the Army but little has been documented. Maybe he thought his poetry wasn't up to the standard of his fathers and grandmothers, and so didn't keep it. He doesn't appear to have written anything or maybe more to the point had anything published once discharged from the army. Very sad because what is available - about 5 in total IMO is pretty good.

Hugh was one of the original Rats of Tobruk.
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Terry
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Re: Poem

Post by Terry » Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:58 am

You could be right Ross.

I've just read the history of both the Camel Corps and the light horse campaigns.
Well worth a read.

Thanks for posting it Bob.

Terry

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