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Tommy and a One in Ten Chance

Stuart Butler

Tuesday, November 4th, 2003

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 It was like having two enemies,
The Boche and me own side,
But at least Jerry didn’t pick just on me,
Or treat me any differently from any other Tommy,
Jerry just tried to kill us all fair and square –
But my mates put me up for every dangerous job spare,
And just because I wouldn’t sleep with any of the whores,
Or go drinking with all the football bully bores,
And didn’t write letters home to any other woman
Apart from me sister and me mam;
But I’ve been on more night patrols than any other man,
And I’ve cut more wires than any other hand,
But everyone has a breaking point,
And I’m in a funk tonight,
A shell-shocked shivering complete full stop,
I just can’t manage to go over the top,
Anymore.
So no more kicking that ball hard straight at me,
And tripping, barging, fouling and kicking me
For laughs, when they play their games of football,
For soon they’ll see me blindfold by a wall,
And shot at dawn for cowardice,
Pro patria mori et decorum est.

© Stuart Butler

Notes

Written after discussions with a gay friend and I promised him I’d do something for Remembrance Day.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/tommy-and-a-one-in-ten-chance/