clouds

first of all
came the cirrus
deceptively
featherly
light
like an
ostrich feather
or white and blue
freckled boa
draped round the neck
of an elegant Berliner
listening to Wagner's
brooding storm
in the 1930s

after the scouts
came the light infantry
the altocumulus
weakening the sun
with a fine hazy blanket
deceptively fluffy
growing larger deeper
making an imperfect once
sun-filled world even darker

then the heavy brigade
massive nimbocumulus
followed by the artillery
surging upwards and outwards
anvil headed
thunder laden gargantuans
streaked
flashing
startling
going to earth
frightening
us mere mortals
below

there was nowhere to hide
no place safe
as the flat and rolling plain
to the Baltic and the Urals
was rendered dark
for years
nay decades
blitzed by almighty storms
from west to east
and back again

we children
sheltered shattered
in field and fen
trembling before their gods
never ours



Poetry by Peter Humphreys
Read 760 times
Written on 2009-03-29 at 17:52

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normalil
I love the comparisons with the natural world. How horrific the whole story though...thank God that it is not completely forgotten.
Bravo for your words.
2009-04-22



This is really impressive, some of the best imagery I've seen lately. And with such depth too. 'Con bravura e sentimento!'
2009-04-05


Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
When I was in Hannover, I saw went to see the Jewish memorial, which is regularly trashed but also to see how smashed to pieces Hannover was - they have various scale models from designs before the war - there is a poignancy - It is hard, sometimes to comprehend with what we see today, yet, we saw the Berlin Wall come down - but it has caused much in the way of socio economic problems, unforesee by the world

Elle x
2009-03-29


Bob
With such a light pen you desccibes some of the worst horrors comitted by man. And it is still happening to the Roma.
2009-03-29