Poem - Leonard Nelson

My Missus Ses to Me

By Leonard Nelson

"Well, spare me days! If that don’t take th' bun!”

My missus ses to me,

“You want to go an’ fight the blanky ’Un?

Why, you’d go dotty if you sighted one!

I’d like to see you try to fire a gun,

A kiddie’s shanghai suits you best, old son.”

My missus ses to me.

“You stay ’ome ’ere an’ let them others go!”

My missus ses to me,

"Let them flag-waggers go an’ fight the foe;

All they do now is skite, an’ spout, an’ blow!

You stop with me an’ tackle jobs you know,

With dinkum soldiers you won’t stand no show!”

My missus ses to me.

"An’ wot about your kiddies an’ your wife?”

My missus ses, to me,

“Who’d care f’r us, if you should lose your life?

There’s plenty more to carry on this strife,

Who loves the music of th’ drum an’ fife,

I mean that crowd wot yells: "War to the knife!” ’

My missus ses to me.

Lor’ love a cluck! I never 'eeded wot

My missus ses to me!

I joined up lively, while me blood was ’ot,

An’ sails away with Noo South’s little lot,

To tie the Kaiser in a bloomin’ knot.

“Good luck, old man! You’ll know you’re not forgot!"

My missus ses to me.

An’ there in France I knew ’twas all a stall

My missus ses to me.

An’ I was glad I’d answered to the call,

An’ done me bit. An’ if I ’ad t’ fall,

Well, better die than stay at ’ome an’ crawl,

A weak-kneed slacker, jus’ because of all,

My missus ses to me!

An’ now I’m 'ome again, a trifle lame,

My missus ses to me:

“I tried to ’old you back—I ain’t to blame,

I knew full well you’d leave me, just the same!

But now I’m proud my ’usband played the game

An’ my old man ’as won a hero’s name,”

My missus ses to me!