unusual place to die
An unfit burial ground
It seems like so long ago
When a mere boy I was
Running through those golden fields
Riding ole Bess to school
Then one day the soldiers came
Stern faces accepting no objection
Insisting we join them or else
To defend our sovereign nation
So Daddy, Bruce, and I departed
From our beloved Carolina home
Donned the woolen grey suits
That marked us rebels all
Mama’s crying, Sissy too
Left man less and defenseless
Tears in all eyes, ours too
So sad, and proud, and scared
The first day wasn’t so bad
A few shots and cannons away
Still no blood flowing
No wounds to slay
By mid morning of the next
My brother lay in my arms
Nearly breathless and speechless
His life seeping away
The Lord took him that day
Bruce’s blood on my sleeves
The darkness had dawned
My life would never be the same
Before the day ended
I lost my daddy too
A hole in his head, instantly dead
In one short day, three less two
From that day onward
I never really cared
If bullet or bayonet forced me
To join my men folk at Heaven’s gate
At least that’s where I hope we go
When I leave this world so foul
I’ll tell you very shortly
Farewell, my fallen friends
From the poetry collection Common Ground
Man on a Wire
High above the landscape
Rooftops appear below
A man looks down upon us
Makes ready to walk on air
He seems so calm, so at ease
As he stares at the depths below
What brought him here
To this time and place
Preparing to balance on wire
To walk where no one has tried
To be above the average pedestrian
To do what could only be imagined
To do what few would dare
What drives such a man
To such feats up high
Why must he do this thing
Perhaps his way to fly
Looking deep inside before the feat
To challenge both courage and means
To decide for one last time
If it is worth his death to him
For demise is what he wagers
This gamble with prize unknown
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