POETRY - HISTORY


Anglo Deutch:

What a contest, myriad repeated conflicts, colossal confrontations,
Awesome in scale, world history in the balance, decided in the detail,
Heroism and darkness, genius and arrogance, fanaticism and camaraderie.
Was history sealed and divided, by the U.S. Supreme Court decision,
To officially adopt the English language, as the American mother tongue.
If so, one man’s vote decided, the World’s 20th century path of history.
German royalty, jealous of Britain’s empire, power & prestige,
Built an awesome navy, to challenge Britannica’s hegemony of the seas.
So thus, Jutland became the rolling arena venue, for giant head to head confrontation,
A truly unique epic & unheralded titanic struggle, whose scale and proportions, peaked that day,
Signalling the end, of the era of the battleship.
The next arena, the now poppy fields of Europe, where American logistic assistance,
Turned the tide to drive, the Germans to a last frenetic endeavour,
That only the British could withstand, until exhaustion slowed the German war machine.
Inducing starving Germany to anarchy and chaos, a budding Bolshevik revolutionary field,
In conjunction with Tsarist Russia’s collapse, for Lenin’s proletariat revolution,
That precipitated the nazi fascist rise, that would engulf the world.
So the arena aloft, witnessed the next supreme trial and test,
The spitfire and hurricane, against messersmitch for world domination,
Again stalled by the dogged humorous Brits, whose allies,
Flocking from the four corners of the world, to defend the motherland against the old mighty foe,
Turned the tide again, to liberate Europe and the world, for the coming of a new age.
Wembley stadium ’66, world cup final venue and arena, for competing northern European genius,
So the titans clash again, with Britannica triumphant to rule again.
But the tide is about to turn, in Mexico ’70, Wembley ’72,
With the long awaited world domination, achieved in Munich ’74.
Collossal rolling victories in Spain ’82, Italy ’90 & Wembley ’96,
Relenting to the long awaited mirror echo, of new age English, devastating Munich victory 2002.
This amazing clash of cultures, where even the Romans feared to tread.
Where toilets, door handles, brushes, shovels, cars, roads, football & armies,
Are conceived of and utilized, in diametrically opposed manners.
Truly a strange development, of close Anglo Saxon rivals.
So near, but so far apart, whose opposition shaped world history and sport.