Mem-day warmup.

Poetry alert!

A poem follows and, lest you miss the meaning.

Cheat sheet: "Scarlet Majors" refers to "Red-tabs". That ought to clear things up.

Above are "red tabs"; collar flashes worn by staff officers, "garritroopers."

The following is by my hero, Siegfried Sassoon See if you can sense a similarity to a certain warmly-pastel-colored "world leader" in the first few lines.

Base Details

If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,

I’d live with scarlet Majors at the base,

And speed glum heroes up the line to death.

You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,

Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,

Reading the Roll of Honour. ‘Poor young chap,’

I’d say—‘I used to know his father well.

Yes, we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap.’

And when the war was done and youth stone dead,

I’d toddle safely home and die — in bed.

A hopeful note at the last.