OccupationYes, times were dangerous then,
one could be taken away
for painting V on a wall;
for a ball bouncing unpredictably
and in the wrong direction
for tripping a soldier in the street
accidentally;
for arthritis, mistaken as insubordination;
a misinterpreted smile;
for resembling a Jew.
Yes, things were different then.
Listening, for example, to the radio -
One could die for less -
a capital offence, listening
to the voice of Freedom,
the BBC, coming to us through thin air
from very far away.
So we were furtive then,
turned it low, crouched over it
like cavemen at a fire,
one ear straining for the news,
and one for a boot on the cobbles
TCM 6/05
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