72133  Poems Read Home Login

 selection

Small Arms Training


I shall kill you Ware, Corporal Jones said,
If you even start to turn your head.
I'll be behind and you'd just better not
I‘ll have a thirty eight and you'll be shot.
Ware and Jonesy were like water and oil
One hyperactive one very slow to boil
It happens sometimes – hate at first sight
Doesn't make it any the more right.
Considering arms training was hell
Ware was coping rather well.

Jonesy would stand and rant and rage and quiver,
The contempt in Ware's eyes making him shiver.
Jones read this as hate, showed his fear
Every time that Ware was near.
He was a small arms instructor, Bisley trained,
(Some where along the line being debrained)
And what should have been a bit of a hoot,
Our very first small arms live range shoot,
Was making the whole squad very jumpy,
Lack of sleep making Ware just a bit grumpy;

As he said, typical army, but what the heck
Put the range in charge of a nervous wreck.
You can imagine the tension came the day
As we boarded the truck to drive away.
We needn't have worried. Old Chalkie White,
Our Lieutenant, made things right
Very simply – where there was Ware
Corporal Jones was never there.
We'd all thought Chalkie was young and thick
But his management skills were pretty slick.

(For a Rupert that is of course
Don't put the cart before the horse)
Within a week Jones was off sick
Having been found near catatonic
In the cinema in the local town
And life for Ware settled down.
I hear his chuckle as if he were here
Daftly grinning atop his of beer.









©2000 - 2022, Individual Authors of the Poetry. All rights reserved by authors.

Visit My Home Page | Start Your Own Poetry Site | PoetryPoem
[ Control Panel ]  [ Today's Poetry - ALL Poets ]   [ Search ]



monique Message from Monique - Free videos for your poetry. Check them out Go to Poetry Poem youtube channel and get the embed  
YouTube
dreamweaver POETRY BY KRIS ~ DREAMWEAVER - ~WELCOME TO DREAMLAND~ Read my Poems to Know me. I am in my poems.  
dreamweaver
poet5170 Poetry by Elsie - *WELCOME TO MY WORLD* ~ Read my poems full of fact, fiction and fantasy.  
poet5170
malibupoetess Life Lines by Malibu Poetess - Straight forward prose and poetry on life, love, joy and disillusionment.  
malibupoetess
norrie5 Message in poetry - personalised poetry, red heartshaped bottle extra special gift for a loved one  
norrie5
waterdragon Our Next Poet Laureate! YAYA! - Remarkable contemporary poetry by award-winning author of Out of Cullen Street (A House of Madness)  
waterdragon
athanase Poetry by athanase - Feedback and critique requested.  
athanase

thepoetess     yosph      dcdrifter      mypoems477      poetry2071  View All Poets
Newest Item: THE CONTOUR OF LIGHT
The contour of light seems endless,  stealthily passing through  ... More
Added: 2024-01-03  My Poetry List  PoetryPoem.com      Get a Free Site       Blogs     Stories     Premium Sites