I spent the the whole of the war in a suitcase

A suitcase donated by the Red Cross

I was in Italy and I was in a cupboard

Or at least I thought I was

In a confined space

Because everything was rather muffled

And then at the end of the conflict

I was repatriated and remember

Chatting a woman in a shattered French village

She asked me a number of questions

In German French and English

I explained in a tongue that was strange to me

That I did not recognise my language

The woman then opened my suitcase carefully

And I found myself in a charming village

Which was much coloured as the summer was high