A series of poems inspired by the SSSW challenge quotes
"I think the hardest thing is to sell the story"
Story
The Captain's face conveyed his trepidation,
His courage failed beneath the Major's gaze,
He struggled to maintain a soldier's bearing;
Today was fast becoming the most terrible of days.
~0~
He tried to piece together what had happened,
Words failed beneath Hochstetter's piercing stare,
His thoughts were somewhat blurred and disconnected
And recollection faltered at the penetrating glare.
~0~
Just hours ago the future looked so rosy,
He'd reached a turning point in his career;
Caught Papa Bear, his proudest, finest moment,
But now was left explaining how this prize could disappear...
~0~
A plant within the underground resistance,
A falsified and urgent call for aid,
A coded message sent to lure their quarry;
Intensive preparations as a cunning trap was laid.
~0~
The captive acquisition went quite smoothly;
His target took the bait, a huge mistake.
The takedown in an old deserted farmhouse;
The fervent hope that huge rewards would follow in its wake.
~0~
He savoured that initial rush, the feeling
Of satisfaction; Papa Bear's surprise;
The leader the Gestapo had been hunting
Lay bound, and gagged and powerless before his very eyes.
~0~
His guards were armed and ready for the transfer;
A truck, the hapless prisoner shoved inside;
The final step, to bring the foe to justice,
As senior ranks in Hammelburg were duly notified.
~0~
But...on the way to town, a strange encounter;
A general, with his staff car broken down.
His driver, quite a portly, lowly sergeant;
His passenger, a lovely girl, in daring chiffon gown.
~0~
The general, he recalled, was quite abrasive;
Snapped orders, which were hastily obeyed.
All papers and credentials passed inspection;
Assistance was demanded, so their journey was delayed.
~0~
And this was where the story changed direction,
As oil was checked, a quiet secluded spot;
The wait, the lovely girl, refreshments offered;
A drink, then vision tilted, and he truly lost the plot.
~0~
Vague images of fleeting, moving shadows;
Of guards surrounded, bundled up, restrained;
The portly driver watching, quite bewildered;
The chaos and confusion as his focus waxed and waned.
~0~
He sensed profound relief as friends united;
Heard guards protesting feebly at their fate;
He glimpsed the General's face transformed in laughter;
The portly sergeant urged to simply close his eyes and wait.
~0~
Time passed, he wasn't certain; hours or minutes?
Still dazed, he shook his head and looked around;
His vehicle was parked, just as he'd left it,
His men trussed up like chickens, quite unharmed, upon the ground.
~0~
Once troops were all untied, the worried Captain
Approached the nearest Stalag gate, Thirteen;
Not anxious to report his misadventure
But well aware the incident would not slip by, unseen.
~0~
He joined the Kommandant, inspecting roll call;
No gaps, each grumbling prisoner in his place.
A laugh provoked a fanciful suspicion;
He blinked, eyes swept the compound, checking each and every face.
~0~
The corporal making head counts was a stranger,
(The portly Sergeant left on two days' leave.)
And Colonel Hogan sparked no recognition.
(Young Olsen posed as Papa Bear, to misdirect, deceive.)
~0~
He scanned along the lines, the source of laughter,
A gangly, grinning youth; assessed, dismissed:
The Captain sighed and made his dreaded phone call;
The option of desertion wasn't easy to resist...
~0~
The Captain's tale was done, he'd spared no detail;
The Major's curt response was brief and blunt.
The Captain left, subdued, to pack his suitcase;
Assigned as he'd expected; one way trip, the Russian Front.
~0~