Fran Clark
Near the end of his bomber tour he met a beautiful young WREN (The Women’s Royal Naval Service, popularly and officially known as the “Wrens”, was the women’s branch of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy) named Rita and decided that he wanted to hang around England for a while. An opportunity opened for a tour in the 1st Scouting Force and he jumped at the chance. To be with his beloved Rita and fly P51’s, too, was a Pilot’s dream. What was the Scouting Force? Read on.
GRANDPA CLARK (A Poem)
Racing around in the cold air night
Grandpa Clark stays in the dog fight.
The little Spitfire is outmatched
By the bomber on their attack.
Grandpa is American through and through
But he knew just what he had to do:
Fight for the English but that’s all right
Because they were the Allies during the fight.
The guns he had were doing him right
Keeping him alive during the fight.
The man on his twelve was indeed determined
To down my Grandpa because he wasn’t German.
But my Grandpa was too quick for him.
My Grandpa did a 180 and ended up in a stall.
That’s okay, he said to himself, because all
I have to do is eject myself.
I’m sure my Grandpa would have rather killed that boggy.
But he decided it was better to go home wet and soggy.
Chris Clark, April 1997
(this youngster’s English Class Poetry Project received an A+)