Press play.
My last letter
It came from the East
Smiling
All slender and ash grey
Wearing a white wedding veil
As it came my way
In the year of 1941
With the cold rise of the early morning sun
On the 20th of May
When the German airborn arrived
To join the Battle of Crete
She came slowly walking up
Down that murky street
In the smoky ash and mud
Barefoot
In faded Somerset white
With bag pipes playing
Grey eyes and broken red tipped finger nails
With a scent of death
And grave
The beast takes many forms
He took all my friends that day
Bill
Terry
Paul and
Big Norm
That smiling wedding bride took their hands
When
They got shot and died
I saw it all
In the smoke
And cried
For second sight
Have I
And when she called to take Big Norm
As I watched her shimmering form
She whispered
She you in 2024
On May the 30th
Look for me
Listen for the bagpipes
I come at dawn
Then she took Big Norm's hand
And they both walked away
Crying
Followed the music of bagpipes playing Going Home
And cries
Amongst the bullets flying
Of the dying
I prayed as I stood
Alone
At the end of that day
And now it's 2024
And the dawn of May on the 30th
Soon she comes
For the faint noise
Of bagpipes playing
Are making this rattling noise in my lungs
But I'm not scared
Bill
Terry
Paul and
Big Norm
Are all waiting for me there
For I'm
Going home
For I'm
Going home
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
