Normandy


Souls drift and waters dry up. A tide of filth to dirty the shores. Scum laden and weeds to clean. It’s a green mess mixed with sand.


This Normandy beach has seen some action. It could have gone either way. Cardboard decoys spun the Luftwaffe out of control. They flew back to base and decided to attack the north. They were under-nourished and fatigued. It worked and they were sucked in.


Ghosts spray across the sand.


It is peaceful but the water laps the broken metal. It wants justice. Salty revenge to a world gone mad.


Children flit with arms flying. They are present and they fight for a future. Shrieks pervade the shoreline and parents relax with sandwiches. Life is not work today and companies can not pay for this joy. It is pure. Bank accounts to face presence.


This sand saw bloodshed. Young and innocent teenagers, fresh from haircuts. Flirting with the hairdresser, weather chat done. Time to move on. She is curvaceous. Don’t look down. Keep control and focus. These are my last days. Buzz cut, they called it. Nothing to tug on. Skulled and impersonal. Clean as a button and good to go. Call me, she said. You can bet on it.


Arcades and museums. The result of the quest. Flashing lights and coin slots to cash in on war. Blame ourselves. Those steel Czech hedgehogs ripping skin from kids who are brave enough to embrace the past. They are just keen, nothing more.


Ships floated in to face the machine guns. They were huddled in concrete fortresses, waiting. What a free hit. Scared and perishing, boys offloaded and awaited a bullet to the head. Sand absorbs, no worries there.


Bodies land so quickly. Extinguished and boxed. One more statistic while the families write letters to help understand.


The sun is out but it is breezy. This is the French coast. Little ones run and grab their inflatable crocodiles. Into the water they go and they splash each other until one of the crocodiles deflates. Back they come, heads down and hungry but their feet have trodden on a piece of history they will never understand.


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