Mad Jack (Scene 3) Poem by John Fenton Mcleish

mad jack
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scene 3
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Siegfried is playing cricket with his friend, some say his lover, david thomas.David will be killed in the war.
It's a beautiful day and siegfried is batting.Suddenly the weather changes, it becomes dark and the rain begins to pour down.Siegfried, david and the rest of the players, run for the club house.They shower and get changed.
Siegfried calls out to the other lads as he and david are walking out the changeroom door, 'We're off to the pub.You chaps coming? '
'Meet you there later ziggy, got to finish some errands first', one replies.
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Siegfried and david are sitting at a table in the pub.They are discussing the war.Siegfried has joined the sussex yeomanry as a lietenant and is awaiting news of his post.
Suddenly they both turn to the entrance.Over the din of the patrons they here, 'Siegfried sassoon! Oh my god it's siegfried sassoon'.
Wilfred owen appears and sits down at the table.Wilfred, quite literally, worships siegfried.
Wilfred plays starstruck, 'I read your new book siegfried, it's absolutely brilliant.I love it'.
Wilfred continues, 'Hail the great siegfried.Your like a poet god, siegfried.Adonis'.
Siegfried gets shy and looks down at his beer, 'Don't say that will, it's embarassing'.
Wilfred, 'I'm serious siegfried, your a bloody genius'
David starts to get jealous, 'If you love him so bloody much, why don't you buy him a beer, and get me one too, it's your shout anyway'.
Wilfred stands up and takes some manuscripts out of his satchel, 'Siegfried, would you take a look at my new book'.
'Sure will', siegfried takes the manuscripts and reads the title, 'Anthem for doomed youth',
'I like the title will', but wilfreds already at the bar buying drinks.
Robert graves walks in and sits down at the table, 'Chaps'
Siegfried, 'Robert, how are you? Haven't seen you in ages'
Robert, 'Signed up.Shipping out in a couple of weeks.How about you? '
Siegfried, 'Still waiting for orders'.
David, 'Me too'.
Robert, 'Where's will? '
Siegfried nods at the bar.
'Oi will', shouts robert.
Wilfred turns back to look at robert.
Robert, 'Don't forget me old chap'

They drink till closing time.By then they're rotten drunk.
They stumble out of the pub into the street.Wilfred and robert go in the opposite direction.
Siegfried has his arms around david when they hear, 'Oi you! '
Standing in the shadows, out of sight, are two coppers.Homosexuals were punished severely in the early nineteen hundreds if they were caught
Siegfried and david make a run for it.
'Oi you.Stop! 'The cops blow their whistles.
Siegfried and david run down an alleyway and jump a fence.They race down an embankment and cross over a small stream, then they make a dash for the forest up ahead.The cops give up the chase.
They walk through the forest panting.
Suddenly the forest ends and they're on the lawn of Weirleigh estate.Exhausted, they fall to the ground and begin laughing.
Siegfried turns and looks into davids eyes, 'I love you david'
David responds, 'I love uou too siegfried'
Siegfried takes davids hand and they make a dash for the back door of the house.They open the door quietly and tiptoe through the hallway to siegfrieds bedroom.
His mothers voice rings out, 'Siegfried, is that you? '
They stop in their tracks.Siegfried looks at david and puts his forefinger to his lips, 'Shhhhh'
Siegfried, 'Yes mother'
Mother, 'I've been waiting up all night for you siegfried.A letter from the army has come for you.I put it on your bed darling'
Siegfried and david start to giggle.
Siegfried, 'Sorry mother, I was at the cricket match'
Mother, 'Ok siegfried.Goodnight dear'
Siegfried, 'Goodnight mother'
Still giggling, siegfried takes davids hand.They continue tiptoeing to seigfrieds bedroom.
Once inside, siegfried quietly shuts the door.He picks up the letter on the bed, sits down and begins to read.David sits next him.
The letter says he's been posted to the western front.He stops giggling and hands the letter to david.
Siegfried is excited about his posting.He is still somewhat naive and ignorant to the horrors of war though.This will soon change.
Siegfried gives david a hug, walks over to the lamp and turns it off.
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// this poem may contain errors