War Stanzas

Stanza 1865

Where the reeds and rushes grow
Where the forest dims the light,
How the brave lads charge forth,
How the valiant fight!

Order in disorder sways,
Close up on the right,
The lame and walking wounded
With gaping holes of fright.

Raise the banner proudly,
Fair glory to be gained:
Boyhood friends are stumbling,
Brooding o'er their pain.

They cry out to God their Maker,
Their heads held down in swoons,
While officers are shouting,
Maneuvering for room.

The battle lines enmeshed, embraced
As the bankers watch the doom.

Fini

So good night mama,
We're burying our dead
Another generation
In long neat rows
Of chipped, hard stone reflecting.
Their lives are gone.

The bankers live on.

~~ Ken Gillespie