Because their war was not so long ago…
Because their war was not so long ago ...
Great-granddad remembers:-
air raid shelters
and the damp
He remembers:-
keeping chickens and ducks
family growing their own veg
He remembers:-
the rubbery smell
of gas masks
Five Boys chocolate bars
He remembers:-
anti-aircraft guns
louder than thunder
and the Germans
drawn like wolves
in the newspaper cartoons
He remembers:-
the ARP warden’s shout
‘Put that light out!’
Because their war was not so long ago …
Great gran remembers:-
air raid sirens
and hiding in
the coal hole
She remembers:-
candles and power cuts,
a clothes horse tent
draped with blankets
to keep warm
She remembers:-
soldiers marching to church
and singing
‘Roll Out the Barrel’
in the pub
She remembers:-
the drone of planes
and evacuees names
She remembers:-
when the other children’s dads
came home
Great-granddad remembers:-
air raid shelters
and the damp
He remembers:-
keeping chickens and ducks
family growing their own veg
He remembers:-
the rubbery smell
of gas masks
Five Boys chocolate bars
He remembers:-
anti-aircraft guns
louder than thunder
and the Germans
drawn like wolves
in the newspaper cartoons
He remembers:-
the ARP warden’s shout
‘Put that light out!’
Because their war was not so long ago …
Great gran remembers:-
air raid sirens
and hiding in
the coal hole
She remembers:-
candles and power cuts,
a clothes horse tent
draped with blankets
to keep warm
She remembers:-
soldiers marching to church
and singing
‘Roll Out the Barrel’
in the pub
She remembers:-
the drone of planes
and evacuees names
She remembers:-
when the other children’s dads
came home
This poem is copyright (©) Emma Purshouse 2025

About the Writer
Emma Purshouse
Emma Purshouse is a writer and performance poet. She writes for both children and adults. Her children's poetry collection 'I Once Knew a Poem Who Wore a Hat' is published by Fair Acre Press and won the poetry section of the Rubery Book Award in 2016.