The 12 Miseries of Christmas    No.(8)

Game For Christmas

Archie MacTaggart (19)
Great weesoccer player
Top goal scorer
Of the regiment
Scots Dragoon Guards
Not on strike
But a good striker
Scoring with either foot
And with his head
When he returns
If he returns
Should turn
Professional

Helmut Schulz (19)
1st Hanover Infantry
A great soccer star
Such a player
Of high regard
Top goal scorer
Left footer
Good with his head
When her returns
If he returns
A national team
Place is assured

Both placed on the battlefield
Amongst the bullets and blood
They have survived for three months
Bodies are strewn everywhere
Archie is in a fox hole alone
Apart from his six dead comrades
He looks at his best friend, Jimmy
Reminds him of a robin redbreast
Shot in the chest
Covered in blood
He cowers in his foxhole
To scared to move
The sound of gunfire
And artillery shells
Make him tremble

In a trench of dead comrades
Helmut cries real tears
Been sobbing for hours
So very scared
Too scared to move
He looks at his best friend Otto
All in bloody bits
Jumped to lay on a grenade
The ultimate sacrifice
Blown to smithereens
Tried to put him all together again
Not enough of him left
The smell of the dead
Repulses him
He is scared
He's alone

Carol singing is heard
Nervously they join in
In different languages
Rowan Tree
The tune is the same
The singing becomes louder
Gunfire and shelling stops
Is it a Christmas day miracle
One soldier stands up
Then another and another
They walk towards each other
No weapons
They shake hands
"My name is Archie"
"I am called Helmut"
They smile because
They are still alive
A game of soccer organised

Archie scores
Helmut scores
Four goals each
The match declared a draw
There are smiles and laughter
Sharing rations
A gory picnic
Of teddy bear slaughter
They part company
Returning to their place
Picking up their guns
Christmas night
Becomes a silent night
Of much reflection
No Santa visit
Maybe because
They were naughty boys

It starts up again
Helmut throws a grenade
Archie's soccer career
In doubt; both his legs
Blown completely off
Screaming and bleeding
Hard to be a soccer player
With no legs surly
Helmut takes on for the team
Artillery shell: Direct hit
Can't play for Germany
Can't head the ball
In the net, without a head
Almost unrecognisable

You would think that
Unimaginable slaughter
Could be replaced with
An international soccer game
Both teams shaking hands
At the start of the match
Both teams shaking hands
At the end of the match
Regardless of the result
Better that than privileged
Old generals creating
Canon fodder
And slaughter
Out of
Teenagers

Was a Christmas day to remember
For the few survivors