WAR IN A FAR COUNTRY

.Newfoundlanders at war sustained massive fatality and casualty (dead plus wounded) rates. Fatalities claimed one quarter of the regiment’s overseas force. Casualties stood at 72 percent, or 58 percent of the nominal roll. Rates for the Royal Naval Reserve were lower. The long-term effects of the loss of so many young lives, compounded by the number of wounded, disabled and diseased, were substantial

They represented nearly 10 percent of the total male population, or 35.6 percent of young men between the ages of 19 and 35

AT THAT TIME NEWFOUNDLAND’S POPULATION WAS 24000O

 

 

WAR IN A FAR COUNTRY

 

YOU MIGHT WONDER

WHY A COUNTRY

IN WHICH I WASN’T BORN

CONCERNS ME

 

IT WAS MY MOTHER’S ISLAND

AND BY PROXY MINE

 

WITH SO FEW ELIGIBLE BACHELORS

AND HARD TIMES

BROUGHT ON IN PART

BY THE COST OF CARING FOR THE CASUALTIES

HURT

MAIMED IN BODY

AND MIND

GASSED

 

ALSO NEWFOUNDLAND

WITH VILLAGES

CALLED OUTPORTS

WHICH RINGED THE ISLAND

WITH POPULATIONS OF MAYBE 10 FAMILIES

WHOSE INDUSTRY WAS COD FISHING

WHOSE COMMUNICATION

WITH THE REST OF THE ISLAND

OR THE REST OF THE WORLD

WAS BY SEA

THERE WERE FEW CROSS COUNTRY ROADS

 

AND THE YOUNG MEN HAD TO WORK WITH THEIR FATHERS

TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY

IF THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY

DIED EARLY

OR HURT

THERE WAS NO SAFETY NET OR PENSION

 

WITH SO FEW ELIGIBLE BACHELORS

AND JOBS

MY MOTHER DECIDED TO IMMIGRATE

TO THE STATES

MET MY FATHER

AND HERE I AM

 

                IT HAS BEEN PLUS 85 YEARS

SINCE THE AUSPICIOUS DAY OF MY BIRTH

DURING THAT LIFESPAN

THERE HAVE BEEN CONTINUAL WARS

OR THE RUMOR OF WARS

 

UNTIL NOW WE HAVE WARS

WITHOUT ENDING

WHERE TO END

WE HAVE TO DECLARE VICTORY

AND LEAVE

 

LIKE TACITUS

WE CAN SAY

 

 

THEY HAVE MADE A WILDERNESS

AND CALL IT PEACE

 

 

 

WE KEEP SENDING OUR YOUNG MEN

TO FEED THE INSATIABLE MEAT GRINDER

 

WE CALL IT NOBLE

AND IT IS

EVEN IF THE CAUSE IS UNJUST

OR MANUFACTURED

 

BUT THE GREY HEADS

THAT SEND YOUNG MEN TO WAR

SIT IN NICE OFFICES

IMMUNE TO PAIN

OR THE COST OF BAD JUDGMENT

 

THEY SHOUT HURRAHS

THEN VOTE TO CUT

A VETERANS PENSION

 

I THINK WHAT CAUSING MY DOUR THOUGHTS

ARE PICTURES OF OUR RETURNING VETERANS

DELIMBED

SCARRED IN MIND AND BODY

 

I WANT TO SCREAM

WHY

AND WHAT WASTE

TO WHAT MEANINGFUL PURPOSE

 

THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY

 

IN A CHRISTIAN NATION

THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER WAY

 

IT SEEMS A HOPELESS TASK

BUT IF EACH ONE OF US TRIED TO LIVE PEACEFULLY

 

FORGIVE WRONGS

WE SUCK ON LIKE

 A SORE TOOTH

 

12 MEN STARTED THE CHURCH

NOT ONE OF THEM WOULD WIN A NOBEL PRIZE

 

DAILY WE SAY

FORGIVE OUR SINS

AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS

 

IT’S A START

 

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

(JOHN 3:18) MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER

John 3:8

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit

MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER

WAS A SEA CAPTAIN

SAILING OUT OF ST JOHN’S NEWFOUNDLAND

WHATEVER THE TASK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE

SAILING TO EUROPE

AMERICA

CANADA

WHEREVER SALTED COD WAS EATEN

TO LABRADOR

FOR THE SEALING TRADE

HE TAUGHT ME LOYALTY

WHEN YOU SIGNED ON TO A CREW

YOU WORKED TO MAKE THAT TRIP SUCCESSFUL

HE EXPORTED WOOD AND MINERALS

BROUGHT BACK NEEDED FOOD PRODUCTS

AND PRODUCTS 

NOT GENERALLY AVAILABLE ON THE ISLAND

THE CREW WAS PAID A WORKMEN’S WAGE

THE OFFICER’S BETTER

WE LEAD A COMFORTABLE NEWFOUNDLAND LIFE

WE WERE ENGLISH

THE WORKMEN IRISH

HIS NAME WAS ARCHIBALD

HE PREFERRED ARCH

I DON’T NEED REMINDERS

THE HAIR IS THIN

HE’D SAY

HE TOLD ME MANY STORIES

SOME TRUE

SOME TALL

HE WARNED ME

ABOUT THE WEE PEOPLE

THE GHOSTS THAT WALK AT NIGHT

SUCH STORIES

THAT THE INTELLIGENT PART OF MY BRAIN

LOOKS DOWN WITH SCORN

AND ENVY

IT WAS A MAGICAL WORLD

AND MY MOTHER WAS FEY

I AM AN OLD MAN NOW

I HAVE FORGOTTEN MANY THINGS

BUT ONE I STILL REMEMBER FONDLY

WAS WHEN MY GRANDFATHER

 GAVE ME A CONCH SHELL

SAID LISTEN

I DID

AND HEARD THE OCEAN

NOW THE INTELLIGENT PART OF MY BRAIN WILL SAY

THE SHELL ACTS AS A RESONATOR

FOR AMBIENT SOUND

THE PART OF MY BRAIN

THAT BELIEVES

SOME THINGS ARE TRUE

BELIEVED MY GRANDFATHER

WHEN HE SAID

LISTEN CLOSELY

YOU’LL HEAR GOD’S VOICE

IF YOU GO INTO A ROOM DEVOID OF SOUND

THE SHELL DOES NOTHING

TOO OFTEN I HAVE BEEN IN THAT ROOM

GOD WAITING OUTSIDE THE DOOR

FOR ME TO OPEN

TOO OFTEN I SPOKEN INTO THAT SHELL

NOT ALLOWING TIME FOR ANSWERS

TOO OFTEN I HAVE HIDDEN THAT SHELL

NOT WANTING TO DO WHAT IT SAID

BUT THE SHELL KEEPS CALLING ME

WITH THE MYSTICAL SOUND OF THE SEA

WHO LIMITED THE OCEAN TO IT’S BASIN

WHO CREATED THE LEVIATHAN

WHO TELLS THE WIND WHERE TO BLOW

SETS THE MOON AND THE SUN

LIKE A CLOCK

WHO MADE YOU

MY FINEST CREATION

MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE SHELL

WHICH SOUNDS CONTINUALLY

COME HOME

COME HOME

TO THE SEA

FRANK A VOLLMER