Aaron Peterson
Yesterday at 3:19am
This poem by myself is dedicated to all POW's both in Ireland and internationally (Past and present) A brief warning in so far that it is extremely graphic:
Electrocuted,
eye burning beams burst through the black fabric of a hood
Brief silence and peace,
grips this convulsing body
Just with searing beams,
no slashing these eyes– how ecstatic the moment is
Draped over a burnt disfigured face,
black cloth hooding me, away from the captors hiding from these burning eyes
Beaten,
bones snap to mere powder under the pressure of the black boots
Black boots of death,
rain down as silent bombs falling through the night sky– leaving their thud against the ground
Though the pain; the intense, overwhelming pain,
grant pleasure of a plea of mercy– I shall not
Flesh torn,
body scarred
Just a serial number in the torturous system,
subjected to all brutality conceived by humanity
Beaten and abused,
humiliated and tortured
A bloody smile; the strongman shall find,
victorious never shall I break
Though– flesh and bone might,
resolute; in a bloody smile how I know they’ll never shackle this mind
Ultimatums,
final chances at redemption offered
Take me to your firing squad,
with my spit striking the general’s face– I cry out
The hot lead much rather I feel sooth this body,
than bending an inch on my knees for my captors
With this final bloody smile,
to the courtyard I go mocking the firing squad with laughter and cheers with my hands raised to the sky
I have won,
with the bullets leaving the barrels– to home I go at last

Barney, Do you remember any of the POWs from Lisburn returning home at the end of the war?. The one that always stands out in my memory and as he was from the Longstone perhaps you remember his return as well. I'm talking about Bobby ONeill who was a POW of the Japaneese for nearly four years being taken prisoner when Singapore fell in 1941. what excitement the day of his return, there were a couple of others from the County Down but I cannot remember their names. Bobby was skin and bone on his return as were most of the former Japaneese prisoners.
On a visit to the UK in the 70s I think it was, the Japaneese Emperor was snubbed in London by ex Japaneese POWS turning their backs on him as he passed by and no wonder after the way they were treated in captavity. Mauri

no Mauri i did know of Bobby ONeill back then unless he would have been a brother or related to Harry or Domenic Oneill from Stewarts Court off Chapel Hill, better known then as Squeeze Gut Entry

Yes Barney, I remember the German POWs in various places around Lisgurn, they used to work on the railway wagons off the Antrim Road and also the coal trucks in Quay Street, I swapped cigarettes with some of them for German Army badges but then my Aunt found them and threw them in the fire, funny thing is she married a German years later in Australia. Bobby ONeil"s family lived beside the "Crees" near Dowling's shop, Jimmy Cree was lost on the Aircraft Carrier "Courages" when it was sunk at the beginning of the war. Mauri