Month: June 2021

“The Commando’s Prayer*”

By Corporal Zirnheld

Special Air Service, 1942

“Give me, my God, what you still have;

give me what no one asks for.

I do not ask for wealth, nor success, nor even health.

People ask you, God, for all that,

that you cannot have any left.

Give me, my God, what you still have.

Give me what people refuse to accept for you.

I want insecurity and disquietude;

I want turmoil and brawl.

Let me be sure to have them always,

for I will not always

have the courage to ask for them.

*( Published just one page past The Dedication of “Von Neumann’s War” by John Ringo, 82nd Airborne, and Travis S. Taylor, PhD(s) and multiple MSs, private pilot, black belt(s?), mountain bike racer, author, heavy metal rhythm guitarist and vocalist). I have not researched the provenance of The Commando’s Prayer, written by Corporal Zirnheld, British SAS, dated 1942. The Special Air Service predates Army Rangers (from which Darby’s Rangers and Merrill’s Marauders were born and all else USA special ops outfits. The first special ops by American forces came from Major George Rogers Clark serving with General Amherst’s British troops during the French & Indian War prior to our Revolution. I have no doubt other special operators – including SEALS, Marine recon and Force Recon, and Air Force Para-Jumpers are but a few of the men-at-arms to ask their Lord for what’s on hand in their darkest moments. The rest of us common herd grunts and part-time Remington Raiders and fly-people and sea-people will might have issued such request to their Lord a time or twelve. This goes out without permission from Ringo or Taylor or their publisher. The poem could be fictional. I will research that matter at a later date. Von Neumann’s war takes its name from last century scientist and futurist John Von Neumann. The book is chilling but usual for a John Ringo offering – a “Doc” Taylor’s verisimilitude as a “University At Home” multiple-degree holder rings true. My question, however, refers to the provenance of which of the two offered the advice on how to strip a chicken wing – not the drumette, the wing! – with an easy two-handed twist leaving only the meat to be dipped in hot sauce and then (ugh! Why not bleu?) ranch dressing. Rest is typical rock-em, sock’em action and jinks both high and low and the right-sane approach to establishmentarians.)

by Categories: J Richards

“The Commando’s Prayer*”

(June 21, 2021)

*(From just after the Dedication Page of John Ringo, 82nd Airborne, and Travis S. Taylor, PhDs, multiple MSs, black belt, mountain bike racer, heavy metal rhythm ax and vocalist’s book “Von Neumann’s War.” I have yet to look up this poem’s provenance, nor have I asked for permission to send this out. It’s byline, printed at the end lists a Corporal Zirnheld of the British SAS with a publication date of 1942. I remain stunned by it simplicity and cut-to-the-quick matter-of-factness one finds in a young man facing or having faced combat when speaking with his God.

The Commando’s Prayer

Give me, my God, what you still have;

give me what no one asks for.

I do not ask for wealth nor success, nor even health.

People ask you, God, for all that,

that you cannot have any left.

Give me, my God, what you still have.

Give what people refuse to accept from you.

I want insecurity and disquietude;

I want turmoil and brawl.

And if you should give them to me,

my God, once and for all,

let me be sure to have them always,

for I will not always have the courage to ask for them.

  • Corporal Zirnheld
  • Special Air Service, 1942
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“For Bruce, from Matsuo via s.m. stirling”

(June 14, 2021)

found on page 292 of his series-ending book “The Sky-Blue Wolves,” this from Matsuo Basho delivered in a round of three-persons reciting each line:

like grasses in summer

the warriors’ dreams

all that is left

Stirling, a fan of the haiku puts his heroine in Korea fighting ghouls and “other” in the company of the empress and her henchman/teacher from all that is left of both Montival (originally centered around The Willamet (sp?) Valley’s river but now expanded from Iowa to Portland-British Columbia and putatively Alaska to Westria (Northern California) with Utah, Idaho and Lakota Lands taken back after the typical Stirling cataclysmic apocalyptic bash…the series actually begins with Bellasarius-like bouts in Mesopotamia.

Stirling supplies the translation to t he above haiku:

Natsukusa ya –

Tsuwamondomo ga –

yume no ato

Since Steve Stirling knows how devoted you are to the form, Juice, I am almost not at all certain this possible violation of all forms of wrightedcopy judgements will not take you away and put you in gaol forever. Shucks: and I was hoping for adjoining cells.

Sent a copy of the haiku(s) to your FB.

J

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“Marines Gave Me Gold” Tanka 3760

marines gave me all:

press pass, travel* orders;

a rifle and more

do seven stories a month

photos welcome as lagniappe

*(When I got to Viet-Nam, Republic of South; the First Marine Division (-) (Reinf) issued me a press pass and something called Repeat Travel Orders, which said, in essence, so long as I stayed clear of Saigon and DaLat (where suspicions said not just Wigs of Big in South Vietnam ensconced their ones of – by and for – love in nice villa retreats, but also some hints of secret nuclear energy(?) program might be found. As per usual, we were not allowed to know – and more importantly, to write – about anything I remain convinced our enemies already knew. We were censoring not just our troops, but our press and America as well. Nothing new there, and I suspect remains the same still.)

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“Add ‘Choice’ To List”

(June 11, 2021)

add ‘choice’ to my list

of curious words like ‘much’*

which tickles fancy

*(Never could figure how such a word as “Much” managed to make a dictionary, though its cousin “such” also comes to mind. Wonder if it’s thsaurusized? And which “choice” guage of shoot-guns would one you when hunting “The Much” in full must?)

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“Where’d The Ant Lions Go?” Tanka 3770

(June 12, 2021)

no ant lion pits

line our sand-edged sidewalk-ways

where did they all go?

never held one up to study

ants – and else – principal bane!*

*(I used to spend countless Summer vacation minutes feeding fire, red, black and big red bull ants into those inverted volcano-shaped slick smooth sandy pits. Gotta know I’m just doomed to be the last one down-the-slide into its maw one bright and un-sunshiny day. Used to be plenty of the pocks at my last elementary school. Wonder if was The New Math or Critical Race Theory’s earlies attempt – you pick the flavor – that caused them Ant Lions to migrate.)

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