A DESERT BATH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 52, 13 May 1942, Page 5

A DESERT BATH

WHAKATANE BOYS' LETTER ENGLISH > GIRLS' POEM Signalman L. S. Grant, son of Mr unci Mrs J. Grant of Whakatane, has forwarded home a photostat poem Sent to him while in the Middle East by two young English girls with whom he struck up a friendship while in that country. Apparently he had written them previously on Ihe difficulties of having a wash in the desert and hence the poetic effusion printed below: — There are those who bath, and those who can't, And this is the tale of Lewis Grant, Who had perforce to go out East,. In weather unfit for man or beast. The sun blazed hot the sand blew high, Poor Lewis Grant he was so dryf But "outer cleanliness comes first" And so, despite his awful thirst.

He saved his water a whole fortnight Intending to ease his sorry plight; Then said our hero "Life's certainly grim" When you can't even keep your beard in trim. y He recalled with grief his mother's fears, That he'd not washed behind bis. ears And made resolve both firm and stout, To get at once his bath-gear out. Then into sight there first did hove. That most esss-ntial primus stove 1 — \ piece of rag became his sponge As lie, prepared to take the plunge. Suspense now had him firmly gripped As ever cautious his toe: he dipped,. But he had to stand in a benzine tin. With cne foot cut and one foot in. Great was his joy and hig.li his hope Vs though, his. eyes were fiV..ed with soap, He splashed and had a good old scrub Balancing in his home-made tub. Giving final care to his chestnut knob And knowing 'Lux' hatl done its job He leapt at last from out his tin, That he had had hi's 'annual' in!

With great abandon he skipped* around, The desert forming his drying-grotmefc Indeed, the little lambs, in spring, Had nothing on Lewis having his. fling. . Tile closing phase of this my tale, To tell you which I must not fail, Is Lewis clad in favourite scanties, Happily sunning in silken panties! There's little doubt 'twa* well wortht while, To lack one's drink to bath in style, For having remedied his fate. We could assuage his thirst with a large sized crate !