The military police
One afternoon
just after returning from work
there was a knock on the front door
and three military policemen
with flat orange hats,
and orange arm flashes
demanded to come in
and wanted to search my place
as somebody had told them
that I was a friend of someone
for whom they had an arrest warrant
for not turning up to camp
and the simpletons thought
that I was hiding him.
Being in the citizens force,
I intensely disliked the military police
and knew that he was quite safe from them
and showed them the gate
which made them really angry,
but they were furious
when I told them that I knew
where to find him
and that they could go
to the local police station
where he was on duty.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
My Heart....What Happened
my heart is broken and its all because of you
my heart cant be put back together with some glue
my heart is full of pain and u dont even care
my heart really needs you but your not even there
my heart now as an empty space
my heart needs u to fill that place
my heart feels the friendship will never be replaced
my heart wants you to still keep me safe
my heart knew this friendship would grow into something more
my heart knew you were going to shut that door
my heart told me to let you know how i really feel
my heart told me if he lets go then its not actually real
my heart never told me if i told you i would loose a friend
my heart never told me my world would come to an end
my heart thought you wouldn, t walk out for good
my heart thought u would of understood
my heart now misses all fun we have had together
my heart now wishes we should of stayed friends forever
my heart just had to give in and put up with the fact that you are gone
my heart has let you win and made me realise that i was wrong
poem by Taylor Dumm
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Heart... What Happened?
my heart is broken and its all because of you
my heart cant be put back together with some glue
my heart is full of pain and u dont even care
my heart really needs you but your not even there
my heart now as an empty space
my heart needs u to fill that place
my heart feels the friendship will never be replaced
my heart wants you to still keep me safe
my heart knew this friendship would grow into something more
my heart knew you were going to shut that door
my heart told me to let you know how i really feel
my heart told me if he lets go then its not actually real
my heart never told me if i told you i would loose a friend
my heart never told me my world would come to an end
my heart thought you wouldn, t walk out for good
my heart thought u would of understood
my heart now misses all fun we have had together
my heart now wishes we should of stayed friends forever
my heart just had to give in and put up with the fact that you are gone
my heart has let you win and made me realise that i was wrong
poem by Bikramjyoti Kashyop
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Heart...What Happened?
my heart
my heart is broken and its all because of you
my heart cant be put back together with some glue
my heart is full of pain and u dont even care
my heart really needs you but your not even there
my heart now as an empty space
my heart needs u to fill that place
my heart feels the friendship will never be replaced
my heart wants you to still keep me safe
my heart knew this friendship would grow into something more
my heart knew you were going to shut that door
my heart told me to let you know how i really feel
my heart told me if he lets go then its not actually real
my heart never told me if i told you i would loose a friend
my heart never told me my world would come to an end
my heart thought you wouldn, t walk out for good
my heart thought u would of understood
my heart now misses all fun we have had together
my heart now wishes we should of stayed friends forever
my heart just had to give in and put up with the fact that you are gone
my heart has let you win and made me realise that i was wrong
poem by Taylor Renae Smith
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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While on weekend pass
In 1988 when I was called up
for a military camp, to go to war
while doing duty in the operational aria
I got a lift with the Flossie (the mail plane) ,
to Waterkloof air force base
for a quick weekend pass,
and brought my kit
and sub-machinegun along
visited my fiancée,
got the key of her apartment
from the caretaker who was very patriotic
and waited in the apartment
as a surprise to her
when she got home from work
and took a quick shower
just after arriving, to be fresh and neat
and when I closed the tap
I heard somebody walking
around in the flat,
but immediately realized
that it wasn’t her
and thought that a intruder,
a thief or someone like that
had entered and that I would be able to
catch that person red handed
and only wrapped in a towel
around my hips, sneaked out to the bedroom
grabbed the R5 sub-machinegun
and rushed into the lounge
where I pointed the gun
threatening on the new maid.
Sufficing to say that on her very first day
she saw me armed with the military rifle,
gave one big yell,
ran out of the door screaming blue murder
and never was seen again.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Johnny Goes To War
At the age of eighteen
just after writing his final matriculation exam,
Johnny is called up to do military service
and when the pickup on the farm
have two flat tyres
and Johnny cannot get to the station in time,
he is fetched by three broad shouldered
military policemen who initially
want to arrest him
and shove him into a waiting military pickup van.
In the army he receives food
that gives him stomach flue
and for the first week
is almost stuck to the loo
and the mash potatoes
coming from a packet as powder,
runs into everything and has no salt in it
while the Colonel, the officers
and non-commissioned officers
have a feast in their mess,
having roasted beef and chicken
and eat as if they are truly blessed
and his hair is cut just above the scull,
he’s forced into an overall,
feels and looks like a criminal
while the instructors, the officers
and commanders wear normal uniforms
and he is chased up and down,
has to run to some trees
three kilometres far and back,
to bring a leave
and every time it’s not the right one
and the passing black citizens
at the railway tracks and on the road
shake their heads
and think that white men are nuts.
Day and night the instructor
slanders and curses at him,
he is put on duty
to guard armoured cars and trucks,
forced to run with poles and truck tyres
and to be just like his fellow military men,
even his girlfriend’s love letters,
are read by the instructor to the rest of them
and he is given a rifle and taught to love it,
while the instructor makes sure
that he knows the difference
between his rifle and his gun
he is forced to sleep with it like a fiancé
while movement and fire tactics
is being drilled in,
while life bullets whistle past him
and a bit later he knows about hand grenades,
mortars and rockets
and then he is shipped out
by train, truck and helicopter
to the war on the border
to meet the enemy
who is waiting for him
and while on patrol with some Unitas
he faces Cuban armour, a huge battle tank
and fires a rocket propelled grenade
at point blank range straight at it
and the trooper next to him,
looses his head, it’s blown off
and Johnny is scared out of his wits,
wishing to be dead
but forced into another firefight instead.
When after two years of being a soldier
he gets home
Johnny is totally nuts, bomb happy
and nobody knows him
when to his mother, his girlfriend
he is is somewhat strange
while life in the town goes on
like it did before
and Johnny becomes a farmer
and trusts in the Lord,
cares for his cattle and sheep
and not one night he can sleep right through,
without having a nightmare
and the president PW Botha, his whole cabinet,
the military officers have a great life,
ignores his mothers letters,
doesn’t care about her tears,
about Johnny’s state of mind
and before long
he is called up for a military camp
and when he doesn’t appear
he is fetched by the military police
and sent back once more
to war, to killing and death.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Yes, there is a story about Agent Orange, and we knew that it harmed our troops and we knew how long it was to get the medical community to accept that, the military to accept it, the VA to accept it.
quote by Christopher Shays
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The toilets at a local police station have been stolen. Police say they have nothing to go on.
quote by Ronnie Barker
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When I Opened The Door (List)
When I opened the door
I found:
four police cars (with flashing lights)
one police car (of which the siren was screaming)
nine policemen (at the garden gate) ,
ten of the neighbours (that were watching) ,
two dogs (that were roaring protecting)
three lightning bolts (that followed shortly after each other)
some rain pouring down (that was wetting everything)
one policeman (that was shouting)
and the reason for all of this:
you had laid a false charge.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Showed Her
She told me I should straighten up my ways
Or she'd be walkin' out
I guess I was just too blind to see
Or maybe just too proud
So I never thought twice
When she loaded up her things and drove away
'Cause I knew she'd be back someday
I knew she'd be back
Took off my work clothes
And left them right there on the floor
'Cause I knew she'd pick 'em up
When she got home like a hundred times before
And just to make it easier for her
I left the light on on the porch
'Cause I knew she'd be back someday
I knew she'd be back
I guess I showed her
How much she had to lose
Showed her, who was really who
I know she's hurtin' now
Looks like I showed her
I must have seen the movie of the month
A dozen times or more
I watched my favorite team play ball
But I never heard a score
'Cause the whole time I was listening
For the moment when she'd walk through the door
'Cause I knew she'd be back someday
I know she'll be back
I guess I showed her
How much she had to lose
Showed her, who was really who
I know she's hurtin' now
Looks like I showed her
If I could I show her how much she had to lose
I'd show her I've been hurtin' too
If I could hold her now
I'd really show her...
song performed by by Alabama
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They were only doing their duty (Two ballades with a prologue)
I. Prologue: Four days of terror
The arrest was just before five o’clock
on a Thursday afternoon,
with one white and one black constable
waiting at his work
and when he returned from business
cuffing him and searching his body
and taking him into custody.
The employer notified his relatives,
seeing the incident
as a blot on the company’s name
and then his job was hanging in balance
and the charges was
based on a false affidavit
made by stepson
on persuasion of the mother in law
and where his car had been stolen,
criminals had broken into his rented house
and robbed him of the TV, DVD-player,
hifi and everything valuable
no arrest was ever made
and the police was only doing their job
and will tell you
that another unit
is responsible for robberies
and hijackings
passing the buck endlessly.
Three days elapsed before a bail hearing
as the black state attorney
was that Friday busy
with another case
in another town
while he was innocently locked up.
It is no joke being innocent and locked up
in a police cell with eighteen other people
with one toilet,
in the middle of the room,
no shower,
no bathing facilities, dirt everywhere
and lice jumping into your hair,
not being able to close your eyes
and knowing if you will be safe
from a attack from any of them
being prohibited to receive any cigarettes
or food from the outside,
being served with three dry pieces of bread
and coffee without sugar for dinner,
an iron bowl as big as you hand
with brown porridge, without a spoon
and any sugar or salt in it
without any eating utensils for breakfast
and having to eat it with your bare hands
like a barbarian
receiving a small bowl of porridge
with mince in it as lunch
and having to eat it
in the same way
and after four days of this treatment
having to appear before a magistrate
on a Monday morning
without clean clothes, a shave
or a comb through his hair
he had been stripped
from being treated humanely
by the South African Police
and have been treated
like just another third world citizen
being made equal to a culture
where living like a animal
is regarded as being humane
and then after his release
he had to get rid of all his hair
to get rid of the lice,
had to take a hot bath in antiseptic
and another shower after that
and had to throw his clothes
and shoes
into the rubbish bin.
II. Honour your father and mother
As a society Afrikaners had respect
for older people,
addressing older people
who were not even related as uncle and aunt.
I have been raised with the bible commandments
and one of them
is to honour your father and mother.
At South African schools
naughty children are not anymore disciplined
by caning, children’s rights, human rights
these days even take precedence
above the teachings of the Bible
and caning is viewed as assault.
I have been raised with the bible commandments
and one of them
is to honour your father and mother.
An eleven-year-old boy
one afternoon while his stepfather
was working at the mortuary,
played with a ten year old girl
from next door
and both stripped naked.
I have been raised with the bible commandments
and one of them
is to honour your father and mother.
That evening the girl told her mother
that the boy had sexually harassed her,
the government welfare was contacted,
the boy was taken to a kid’s clinic for evaluation
where that boy stated that his step father
had sexually assaulted him.
I have been raised with the bible commandments
and one of them
is to honour your father and mother.
III. Only doing their duty
During the trial of the mass murderers
in the Second World War,
some people on trial stated
that they were only doing their duty.
Children’s rights is the in thing,
and on insistence of the boy’s grandmother,
and a declaration of the boy,
the police
went to arrest the stepfather at his work,
which he almost lost
as that company does not want to be associated
with people who sexually harass children.
They were only doing their duty.
The police grabbed him with their hands
going into the back of his pants,
locked him up on a Thursday
at the cells at the police station.
They were only doing their duty.
The stepfather is dyslectic, works as a mortician,
and earns a very small salary,
could not afford a proper lawyer
and it was clear that the state lawyer
wasn’t really up to it.
He was only doing his duty.
The mother of the stepfather,
(an eighty three year old pensioner)
had to get an advocate (a supreme court barrister)
for the bail defence
as her son was seen as a danger to society
and being locked up
in a proper jail was being considered.
They were only doing their duty.
The court decided that the boy should for a time
live with his grandmother
and she went with the story
to the local newspaper
and claimed that she and the boy
have got to live behind burglar bars
in her flat and are too scared
to even go shopping
with the stepfather out on bail
but the grandmother and the boy,
was seen in a local pub,
where she was drinking
and the child was playing pool.
The newspaper and the grandmother
were only doing their duty.
At the court while the boy’s mother
was waiting in the passage way
(as the court case was being held in camera)
a police detective asked her
why she was still living with the stepfather?
The police detective with a pistol on his belt,
was only doing his duty.
During the trial that proceeded for days upon days
under cross examination
from the defending attorney it came out
that the boy’s own father had molested him,
that the stepfather was totally innocent
and the stepfather’s mother (a pensioner)
had to pay more than sixteen thousand rand
in legal fees
and the court felt sorry for the poor boy
and the legal system was only doing its duty.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Never Knew
It's really been a long time
Since I let somebody hold me
Since I felt safe in somebody's arms, emm emm
You were a good friend I could confide in
But after all the lies he told me
I couldn't let nobody in my heart
I was torn apart
All this time you've been right here
He's been doing nothing but wrong
And though the best thing in my life was
Here with me all along
Chorus
I never knew
Right beside me there was an angel
I never knew
You'd give my heart the wings to fly
Because of you
Everything in my life is changing
Turning it to
The kind of heaven that I never Knew
He kissed away my tears
And now they've disappeared
You make me feel SAFE in somebody's arms
You're the kind that can do me no harm
These questions everybody ASKS me
They say THEY'VE never seen me so happy
But that's a secret between you and me
They don't know nothing about us baby
Can't let up
Can't tell anybody that you're not from around here
They don't know that you're an angel
But now it's all so clear
Chorus
I never knew
Right beside me there was an angel
I never knew
You'd give my heart the wings to fly
Because of you
Everything in my life is changing
Turning it to
The kind of heaven that I never Knew
Is this a dream
Are you for real
You got me honey
Feeling things that I never thought I'd feel
You taught me love
Don't have to break my heart in two
That's just one more of those things
That I never, never knew
I never knew
Right beside me
There was an angel
I never, never knew (that my heart could fly)
It's all because of you baby
My life is changing
Turning it to
The kind of heaven that I never knew
song performed by by Gloria Gaynor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Untold Story
You once told me your race
(Not if I really cared)
You once showed me the true color of your face
(Not if that mattered)
You are whom you want to be
You are the sheep, you are the bee.
You once told me who you were
Once you discovered what the dean did
You called the police supervisor
And filed a report, there you hid
Your true genealogy
You wanted to be conveniently
Different than the jerk
Because there was no perk
For you to win
What an egregious sin
What a sad hypocrite
You are the pit
The pit bull that lies
And the other one, the cat
That steals the pies
You are no different than the bat
Who behaved like a wise crow
At day time and at night time
Chased the house mouse like a deadly owl
I never knew you’d stoop so low
By perjuring yourself; you duly committed a crime
By lying; you are just like the scarecrow
The kleptomaniac, which filed the death certificate
To claim the benefits that no longer fit.
You once told me your race
(Not if I really cared)
I just wanted the black ace
(Because that truly mattered)
The white pearl, the black gold
The white gold and my story told.
poem by Hebert Logerie
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Thought Police
(d. pickerill/p. odonoughue)
Chorus:
Thought police
They will put you under
The thought police
They will take you in
The thought police
They will clean your mind out
The thought police
You can never win
You can never win
You can never, never, never, never, never win
There are people around with problems
Those who live in fear
Running from the shadows
Waiting for another year
Thought of the secrets
Secrets of the mind
Thoughts can spell out danger
To the leaders of the time
Chorus
Thoughts are fleeting glimpses
Of the future or the past
They lock ideas in a bottle
Its time to break the glass
Hiding out in the daytime
Crawling through the night
Keeping out of danger
Just trying to find the light
Chorus
Chorus (x2 and fade)
song performed by by Lisa Stansfield
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Eyes Of Mr D (Part 3)
(The author recommends that you read Parts One and Two before reading this.)
For a week, he frantically looked
for her at the bus stop
and the surrounding area.
Unfortunately, he could not see her anywhere.
It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
He bought most every paper,
looking for her picture there somewhere,
but it never appeared.
At his ground floor flat, he paced about.
She was on his mind constantly.
He need to find her,
but was lost on what to do.
He could not go to the police;
they would take him as a crank,
or worst still,
accuse him of being a murderer.
He had to get them to listen.
The question was how?
The next day he drew out some money,
then went to the bad side of town,
and purchased himself an illegal gun.
He set out writing a note
saying everything he had to say.
He could not go any longer living this way.
He need to escape the torment
and helplessness he felt.
He could not go on with his feelings tide,
the only way out he could see was suicide.
Now he had a weapon to help him with his quest.
One single bullet
and fate would do the rest.
Sitting in the sunlight,
suddenly he could see
a time, a place and a date.
What did it all mean?
He would have to visit the place
before he performed his final act.
He had to know what was there.
Next morning he travelled to the place,
a park with a lake and wooden bridge.
Dotted around the side of the lake
were park benches and several people sitting there.
The wooden bridge spanned the lake at a narrow part.
He had seen enough,
and he knew what he had to do.
At his flat he passed a neighbour,
he put his gloomiest expression on.
He did not talk,
just nodded with a long engraved frown.
He past them in the hall.
Entering the flat,
he sat at the table just visible from the door.
He lifted the gun and pointed at his temple.
It had to end now and forever more…
Outside in the hall the neighbour
heard the shot and something heavy fall.
Rushing to their flat the emergency services called.
Within in minutes a police car arrived,
and pulled up outside the flat.
The anguished neighbour rushed out to them.
She explained what had happened
and everything that she had heard,
the shot and the loud thump.
One of the Constables rushed
to the front door of the flat.
He shouted out the name
the neighbour had told him.
However, no answer came back.
The neighbour then explained
she had a spare key
because he used to be blind.
She gave it to the Constable.
He inserted the key in the lock
and then gave it a twist.
The door swung open.
To be continued……
7 June 2007
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A police road block
We went to the boy’s rugby match
it was at a school in Centurion
just south of Pretoria
and he was playing really well
got provincial colours
and went to the Craven week.
We parked up on a knoll
and you wanted to stroll down it,
to where the rugby field was
and I insisted that we follow
the road round,
but you cursed me
right there between the other parents
and was determined to have your way.
You didn’t want to hear anything
and your first step
going down that hillock
was the last that you took there,
since you stumbled and broke your leg
while I grabbed you to steady you.
I carried you down that little hill
and you were in great pain
and had your arms
around my neck
and at that moment
I knew that you loved me.
I went to fetch the car
and brought it round the knoll,
put you on the back seat
of your old green Honda ballade
with a lot of care and trouble
to get you in
without hurting you
and took you straight
to Unitas hospital
that was near.
I phoned the medical aid five times
while you were being admitted
to get a confirmation from them
to stop the hospital
from claiming a deposit
and when you were settled
I went home
to fetch some clothing
and toiletries.
I drove back with my own white Polo
and just at the hospital
was stopped by the South African Police
at a roadblock.
They made me get out of the car,
patted me down like a criminal,
wanted to see my drivers license,
was determined to search the car
and went through your
underclothes and things
and asked me what I am doing
with a suitcase of woman’s clothes
in the boot?
They were very rude
and I explained that I was taking it
to you in hospital
and was determined
to see their authority
to search my car.
They had the right order there
signed by a judge
for a roadblock and a search
of any car
on that stretch of road
but the police officer to whom
it gave authority
wasn’t there
and I demanded to see him
and they wrote my name
and identity number in a book
while I told them
that they were acting illegally
before they let me go.
You were glad to see me
and browsed through the magazines
that I brought
and I visited as long as I could
and asked the sister in the office
to take special care of you,
but when I left
the police and their roadblock
was no longer there.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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You Have Not Knocked
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
When I had been in double struggles,
You have not knocked.
Or when I had been on my knees,
You have not knocked.
And when I felt grumpy and crunchy,
You have not knocked.
Or when I've asked you to leave me,
You have not knocked.
You know I can get really moody,
But, you have not knocked.
And carry drama to extremes,
No, you have not knocked.
You've stuck with me when I've been stinky,
And, you have not knocked.
To me you are my 'everything',
And I love you a lot.
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
Whenever I've been down and dumpy,
You have not knocked.
Or when I've picked my wounds to bleed so,
You have not knocked.
And when I pout with rudeness rooted,
You have not knocked.
Or when I whined consistently,
No, you have not knocked.
You know I can get really moody,
But, you have not knocked.
And carry drama to extremes,
But, you have not knocked.
You've stuck with me when I've been stinky,
And, you have not knocked.
To me you are my 'everything',
Because of patience you've got.
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
You've never not...
Come to knock.
Come to knock,
At my door...
With words 'I told you so! '
And...
In my heart you are adored.
That's what I need to show you more.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Any community's arm of force - military, police, security - needs people in it who can do neccesary evil, and yet not be made evil by it. To do only the necessary and no more. To constantly question the assumptions, to stop the slide into atrocity.
quote by Lois McMaster Bujold
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Today I Felt It Safe
Today I felt it safe,
And knew it was okay...
To fall in love all over again.
Today I felt it safe,
To unlock the gate...
And welcomed those feelings again.
When I once had a shattered heart...
I ran to protect,
My emotions I had left.
Today I felt it safe,
And knew it was okay...
To fall in love all over again.
Today I felt it safe,
To unlock the gate...
To welcome back those feelings again.
When I sat in shadows to cry...
I did my best to hide,
Inside what I denied.
And just today I felt it safe,
And knew it was okay...
To fall in love all over again.
I then told friends who were so relieved.
They did not want to see me,
Grieve my life away...
Everyday.
And just today I felt it safe,
And knew it was okay...
To fall in love all over again.
And gone is pretending,
I have no needs.
Or wishes and dreams...
I want to let begin,
Again!
Today I felt it safe,
And knew it was okay...
To fall in love all over again.
Today I felt it safe,
To unlock the gate...
To welcome back those feelings again.
And I am hopeful with you they will not end!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The military has been tremendously important in the past during catastrophes and in protecting the population. But it shouldn't become an auxiliary police force.
quote by Otto Schily
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Red And Orange
Ther's a red house,
Inside there's an orange door.
Beside that there's a red carpet,
On top of an orange floor.
There's a red table,
Below an orange ceiling.
Upstairs there's a red bed,
Inside an orange room.
There's a couple of red people sleeping soundly,
Next door two orange ones too.
Outside there's a red truck,
No one knows what to do.
I don't see the proble,
Why don't you leave us all alone.
But now I see the red more clearly,
And I know what's done is done.
And I'll float away with the cloudy smoke,
Before the inevertable happens and I start to choke.
Good bye red house,
So long orange door.
I'm going for a long sleep noe,
Six feet under the floor.