First they came for.

[Jerrybaldy]

First they came for Daffy and I did not speak up
as a duck for tea, excited me
Then they came for Hill and I did not speak up
as all that walking, stopped me a-talking
Then they came for Haunted and I did not speak up
I had to be excused, she didnt want to be rescued
Then they came for Prince and I did not speak up
He is so damn wise, he was gonna be a prize
Then they came for Delta and I did not speak up
For this lady has the brass to really kick their ***
Then they came for MaryD and I did not speak up
for she wrote from the heart and tore it apart
Then they came for Ang and I did not speak up
for arranging those flowers, took bloody hours
Then they came for Skia and I did not speak up
for she is young and having too much fun
Then they came for Hawk and I did not speak up
he is nice and all, but has no beach ball
Then they came for people I know even less
And I did not speak up
for I dont know if I will know them well
as only time will tell
Then they came for me
And there was nobody left to speak up for me.

Thanks Mr Niemöller .

[Delta40]

sounds like we've all been shipped out. I'm confused again. Its a habit to look for deeper meanings but does this have one? enlighten me as I imagine each of us being marched out to the firing squad....

[dafydd manton]

Ha! A padded cell to yourself, your own strait-jacket, plastic spoon, blue crayon to write with, electric shock therapy every Wednesday at 3, the injections, watching Matron jiggle as she walks down the corridor, jangling the keys. If you'd just said one kind word - you'd have still been in the same position! *Pause for Maniacal Laughter*

[Jerrybaldy]

Delta
was a poem by Niemöller . google it.
I read it as an advert for amnesty international and joined as a result (honest) this is just a parody of it of but the original .. oh hold on will get it for you

In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

there are loads of different interpretations but is one of those poems that always stuck with me. Not the religious ideas but the standing by your neighbour

Daffy. I am an artiste :P

[Delta40]

oh well I heard that once during a doco on WWII. Now I am more learned than ever I was a moment ago!

read my poem please?

[dafydd manton]

There is nothing rhymes with orange!

[angliholic]

Eventually they'll come for themselves
since there is none left but themselves.

Thanks, Jerry, for the good laugh in the morning!

[Maryd.]

In actual fact Jerry I didn't find this poem funny at all. I found it rather intriguing.
Thanks for the insight. As you say there are many ways one can interpret this poem.

[Haunted]

Even though I don't want to be rescued I still would like you to try. I guess you're too busy entertaining the pope. :p

Joking aside, I'm shaking from the four ominous words and the callousness of a "bystander" who, nowadays, is called accessory to murder. Very powerful especially for a parody.

[angliholic]

Even though I don't want to be rescued I still would like you to try. I guess you're too busy entertaining the pope. :p

Joking aside, I'm shaking from the four ominous words and the callousness of a "bystander" who, nowadays, is called accessory to murder. Very powerful especially for a parody.
Hi, Haunted,
I like your joke better than being rescued!
I guess Jerry is the most religious man in the whole world--each time he comes (to this world), he thinks of nothing but the pope!

And I like your insight of this parody better than your humour!

[Jerrybaldy]

Haunted, the original is a powerful piece, mine is just a throwaway bit of fun :)
Maryd, where I wrote interpretations I meant to write translations as the conversion to English has left varying forms of it. As for my version, it has nothing to be interpreted, was just a name check to some of my friends on here. My line on yourself is based on two of your styles, the love poems and the darker ones. I only hope Daffy doesn't read something into Duck for tea :)
best wishes Peeps
Jerry

[hillwalker]

The serious side of Jerry - I'll admit that I guessed what you were referring to as soon as I read the first line..... and of course the same thing still happens today in society where we turn a blind eye to bigotry or injustice if it doesn't touch us directly.

Perhaps you should check out this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWfYegWWqM/

H

[PrinceMyshkin]

It's a tough one for me to relate to Jer, because what it parodies or uses as a skeleton is so heavy, that I resisted the humour in your piece.

The Niemoller, after all, ranks somewhere along with John Donne's "No man is an island..."