August 6, 2017 | Ian Bland | Leave a comment The theme for this week’s JVG Radio Method poem is “ Cherry“. I don’t know what I was thinking today, I forgot to provide the background for today’s poem. Yesterday (August the 5th) was the anniversary of the Cowra Breakout, the largest prisoner of war breakout of the Second World War. 359 Japanese prisoners of war broke out of the Cowra POW Camp. 239 Japanese soldiers and 4 Australian soldiers were killed. Many of the Japanese escapees either committed suicide or were killed by their compatriots in blood pacts. All the survivors were recaptured within ten days. Australia continued to operate the camp until the last Japanese and Italian prisoners were repatriated in 1947 Ed Bates was in today providing the koto sounding guitar backing, have a listen to how it went below… To play this poem directly in your browser – just click the “play” button below: https://ianbland.com.au/audio/JVG_Poem20170806.mp3 Cherry A garden blooms in a Cowra street Wiradjuri melds with Japanese Beauty hides it’s own deceit Among Eucalypt and cherry trees These lands of rolling hills and plains So distant from a world at war Yet here wars legacy remains A day in nineteen forty four Prisoners, seized in battle, spared Brought here, captive; an intolerable stain Is mercy not honour? A tenet not shared Death preferred to unbearable shame War holds no honour; death no relief We fight, make peace, forgive and befriend War holds not glory, but insufferable grief The victors, the vanquished; who wins in the end? This beautiful garden, tranquillity reigns Like soldiers, cherry blossoms fall Yet it’s calm and grace a sadness claims That this garden needs exist at all © Copyright 2017 Ian Bland Also have a listen to “Everything or Nothing” <a href=”http://music.ianbland.com.au/album/everything-and-nothing”>Everything And Nothing by Ian Bland</a> Share this:TweetEmailMoreTelegram