An Airshow Progressive

Sunday 21st July 2024 10:17 am (first posted Saturday 20th July 2024 5:24 pm)

The Farnborough Airshow is much more than that. It is one of the countries largest Arms Fairs. The deals are made beyond the public gaze, the corporate days outnumber the public days. This poem relates to the masquerade that is The Farnborough Air Show and Murder Incorporated.

Women, Children, Ice cream, Balloons,

excitement, enticement, sonic booms...

Shattered Streets limb festooned,

righteous entitlement, lives marooned.

SAAFA, Poppies, Medals, Flags,

Hot Dogs, Slushies, Corporate bags...

Red Cross, Crescent, ID Tags,

No Parent Present, Body Bags.

Smiles, Cheering, Pride and Joy,

Roaring Engines, Replica Toy...

Crying, Screaming, Girl and Boy,

Crumbled Ruins, Lives Destroyed.

Contracts Signed, Agreements Made,

Champagne Taken, Anthems Played...

Pits Deep Dug, a Grim Parade,

No Graveside Hug no Love Displayed.

Airshow, No-Show, Mass Murder Sale,

Our Bloody hands Beyond the Pale...

Bombed out Cities, Dollar Shrines,

The Mausoleum's of our time.

Video and Audio available at link below

https://wolfgarwords.com/2024/07/20/an-airshow-progressive/

Comments

David RL Moore

Tue 23rd Jul 2024 09:14

Thanks for your generous comment Ray.

Good to see you and great having our recent catch up.

David

raypool

Mon 22nd Jul 2024 21:19

What a fantastic testament to how the world is actually run, the protagonists are in too deep for resurrection, and this a brave stripped down account of the inner slime of hypocrisy hiding behind a globalising presence. We also should not forget the regular private trips that are polluting the area (how can we?)of trips by Saudi Princesses in search of more handbags.

A winning poem by one who knows what he is talking about, and a powerful message there.

David RL Moore

Mon 22nd Jul 2024 06:30

Thanks for your reading, comments and likes MC and Stephen.

For clarification purposes, the arms trade today is conducted primarily for reasons of greed, influence and power. Whereas there once was a case and need for development in regard of our own defence and security, we seem way beyond that now. The entities which drove that development were not solely owned by private industry.

The problem we have today is of economies and specifically niche industries being driven by their seeming necessity for perpetual war, a topic which has been written about extensively in recent decades...and which Orwell highlighted/predicted in his day and its likely expanse into the age we live in now.

When I first was posted to Aldershot elements of the RAF/RAE were still in situ at Farnborough Airfield. It's gleaming history of defence and development retaining a small footprint on the landscape, there is no such footprint now.

Many are aware of that fine history not all have forgotten it...it is very much with that history in mind that I am repulsed by what goes on there now..

David

PS: For interest:

https://www.aerosociety.com/media/13822/paper-2020-03-rood-rae-100.pdf

M.C. Newberry

Sun 21st Jul 2024 19:04

In other days, Farnborough Air Show was a shop window for
the once great British aeronautics industry and saw the unveiling
of aircraft that were benchmarks of progress in their day. We can
tend to forget that the world was in competition in the industry
and it was fierce, leading the way to what became known as
"The Space Race" and all that it meant to this world, in peace
or war.

Stephen Gospage

Sun 21st Jul 2024 13:55

Superbly written, David. I have been to Farnborough, so I see exactly what you mean.

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An Airshow Progressive

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