Terror from the sky

Upon an ammunition box I sat beneath the trees Then heard a sound so menacing It caused my blood to freeze.

A noise so harsh and stuttering That echoed from on high As if a two-stroke motorbike Were driving through the sky.

I’d read about them in the news But not seen one before A grotesque dragon in the sky Belched flames and sparks galore.

I slumped there, trembling on the box With terror in the air And then at length, regained my strength And set off like a hare.

I ran a mile Olympic-style I’d never run so fast,

Across the doormat, down the hall, I stumbled — home at last!

Secure and safe I settled down Relaxing on the rug Describing to my family

The dreaded doodlebug.

This bird of Satan, all in black Was Nazi’s latest toy Its mission grim, at Hitler’s whim To murder and destroy.

The bedroom window was my watch, They flew past night by night Then just kept going — heading north No more did I take fright.

They winged their way to London Town I heard their eerie roar The motor stopped and then it dropped To kill and maim some more.

Have you still got the doodlebugs Stored in your memory? Now images in yellowed books Confined to history. Jonathan Bryant, Worthing, W. Sussex.