Chapter 21 -  (Part 2 of THE ALCAIDESA YEARS)

Despite the limited success, musically and inter-personally, when I think of Danae, the drug of music had gone deep into my veins. I know now that the CD "DANAE Canciones de Amor" is not to everybody's taste. In the style of the deepest songs by Leonard Cohen, Denis and I recorded the songs in it more as poetry with a musical accompaniment rather than fully fledged musical songs ..... Does that make sense to you? 

One day I was in my car sitting in those interminable queues that our neighbour to the North would create.The queue went back all the way to Eastern Beach and we sat there in our cars, waiting for our turn to cross into Spain. As I was rounding the corner at the Sundial I looked to my right at The Cross of Sacrifice. I remembered my Dad bringing me here on Remembrance Sundays to see the march past of the colourful and musical bands of the regiments and the laying of the wreaths of poppies. Somehow even as a young boy I could not understand the juxtaposing of a cross, a symbol of peace, with a sword, the symbol war and death and destruction. As I was going around curve, I read the words on the plinth of the cross:

"IN GLORIOUS MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED FOR THE EMPIRE”

It must have been the first time I truly read those words.
Which of those poor bastards who died by bullet or bomb, shot from the skies or drowned in the cold seas, thought  that it was so glorious?
The blatant incongruity of it all exploded in my mind. I turned the wheel, mounted the wide pavement, and scribbled down the words of a poem that forced its own existence. It was one of those times when the full sense of a poem, if not a poem itself, burst out of me, out of my pen, forcing itself to be born!

I set it out here for you and perhaps you will agree with a conflict of feelings that both glorification of war and yearning for peace, the sword and the cross create within the thinking mind: 

"SOLDIER,SOLDIER"©

(a poem about misplaced national fervour – Illustration be David Bentata) 

3rd July 2002

Soldier, Soldier,

With uniform and gun,

Died in battle,

Went up to meet the One.

 

“Soldier, Soldier,

How did you die?”

“The enemy fired,

I fell without a cry”

 

“Soldier, Soldier,

look at the enemies now.

They hug like old lovers

And your death they disavow”

 

“What then did I die for?

Was it all political?

Were our Leaders and theirs

So cruelly hypocritical?”

 

“Soldier, Soldier,

at last you are wise,

when all flags and all frontiers

you’ve learnt to despise.”

 

“What then shall we teach

our children of tomorrow?”

 

“Teach them faith in politicians

will only bring them sorrow!”

 

WOW .... Even when I read these words now, I feel the impact that struck me on that July 2002.

When I reached my home in Alcaidesa I could not wait show it to my neighbour Denis Valerga. I had a quick shower, ordered a family size pizza, dusted a fine bottle of Merlot I had in my cellar and off I went to see the Maestro and Lone, my hostess.....and naturally Harvey, the pet cat!
When I read the poem to them, they too were struck by the force of its words, the truth of its sentiment. So, over a pizza and a bottle of wine the next project was conceived: "NO MORE Mr NICE GUY" was the title of a new CD we would create together. This time I chose 13 poems in English from the more than one hundred and fifty that are saved in my hard disk awaiting some sort of birth.

This was going to be completely different to the first one. All these songs were gleaned from poems with vastly different topics.

"SOLDIER, SOLDIER" is an anti-war poem.

"JUST ANOTHER JOHN ", is about the desperation of some people.

"NO MORE Mr NICE GUY" is about disillusionment.

"GOODBYE BABYLON" is political, about America during the Obama years

"AMBITION" was written as a wake-up call to my youngest son, Gideon, but reaches to all youth.

"POSSESSED" was written perhaps more to myself, to remind myself that....
"…..possessions possess you….."

"DOING TIME" is about taking the blame for someone who was really not worth the sacrifice

"ONE PEOPLE – ONE PLANET" was inspired by Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth. I took the idea down to its lowest common denominator and came out with this poem. Basically:
",,,,We are only ONE PEOPLE - let's stop KILLING EACH OTHER!"
",,,,We only have ONE PLANET - let's stop polluting it!"

Not only was this poem made into a song, but it was the start of my designing jewellery based on a concept rather than on any pretty looking piece of metal. You can see it in the pictures attached.

"CATCH ME DANCING" - this one came about as I sat with an elderly English gentleman on one of the Main Street benches. He came on a week's holiday day, in the cool of a September autumn, only to find that September in Gibraltar can be as hot as any July! He had been walking down Main Street dressed in his Chelsea pensioners uniform, full length red wool coat, medals resplendent, black cap…… and was resting  in the bench, but would not even think of removing his coat!

This old soldier had enlisted at the age of 15 to fight in World War I, and survived it. 25 years later he enlisted again and fought and survived the Second World War. His medals testified to his bravery and his words testified to the bitterness he felt and how the youth of today disparaged the sacrifices of yesteryear. Denis composed the music masterfully for this one, building it up to incorporating the sound of a Colliery Band as it's crescendo.

"THE GOD GOOGLE" is a tongue and cheek poem making fun of today’s young techies …….and a warning too.

"BENITO" is in memory of a friend of mine who was dying of cancer in the old St. Bernard's Hospital. I had sat at his bedside to write some very bitter words.
“… His time is near
that is for sure,
so what are we?
Living manure?...”

"DIVORCING CLOWNS" is a brief analysis of the destruction a divorce creates within a family and especially the children of such a family.

And lastly "BETWEEN MAN & GOD". This was written sitting on the tarmac on the "Yogi-Bear" Dakota twin engine plane after an aborted landing in Gib Airport, waiting to be shuttled back for once the crosswinds died down. That aborted landing had been almost a near death experience for me and the words virtually wrote themselves out.

At this point I must again thank Sonya Golt.
She was the first person outside a very limited circle of friends who recognised my ability to write poetry. Together with other wonderful poets, mainly from Gib but also from Spain, she invited me to recite mine at the John Mackintosh Hall. This was my first public performance and I was surprised how many people in the audience were attracted by the thought which this very emotive poem produces. In the photo you can see the late Philip Valverde strumming beautifully to the words.

Denis brought in his brother Henry Valerga to do the vocals and that was an excellent choice. Henry is implacably punctilious and insisted, even to Denis's exasperation, on just the right note at the right point in his singing. The results were, though I say so myself, a CD well worth listening to. In fact, GBC aired a full programme of it directed by Patrick Mifsud.

Were it up to me I would love to do a recording along the lines of that by the late Telly Savalas (KOJAK - “who loves ya, baby?”) in his recital of the poem "IF", with his gravelly voice and accompanied by mellow background music and a beautiful chorus. But for now, my aim is to write more of these snapshots of my life to put together into a modest book of memories about Gib and this Yanito, both belonging to a time long past.
I attach an illustration of each poem, dine by various artists, to accompany each poem when they were included in a book I published to collect funds for CALPE HOUSE:

HEAD HEART & SOUL – 101 Illustrated Poems

If any reader wishes to read any of the poems, please contact me and I shall send via email or messenger …..or even by post.
I am now (2021) transposing my poems, those above and many newer ones, into videos, recited with images, illustrations and matching background music. You can see them on my You Tube David Bentata channel.