Why did I not ask the questions?
A man with so much to say!
I regret the time that was wasted
And now he’s passed away.
The snippets, the funny stories
Time spent in India and Rangoon
But when it came to the serious business
Always something to be done – and soon!
I remember the fits of fever
Frightening visions, shaking nights.
The curtains helping calmness.
Closed against the lights.
A normal man
Just one of many
Ask for ‘real’ stories
He hadn’t any.
But the medals were there
A modest volunteer with the Burma Star
Spent years forgotten
In a land so far
Like so many of his generation
Kept his memories in a biscuit tin
Life was for living
Past revealed only to closest kin.