An Infantryman's Last Gleaming

The dull ache of a wound began to close

almost before I sensed its gapping clue;

a season turning, the slow ebb in time's

continuum my first hesitant step thru

the emerging sight, like a creeping moss.

“Better to be a footman,” my father's grunt,

“some Squire's land-locked ox, than the old tit's

buttoned infantryman. That whoring c**t

of a dead empire will chew you to bits.”

Still, my mind returned to the autumn field,

the ragged line stretched across Cornwallis' front,

like hell's own fury, I knew would not yield.

Come morning what fate commanded, one last shout

before the cannon's urge turned the red wheel--

“Dear son,” my mother pleaded, “do not follow

the devil's prescription, but keep yourself

at peace. Stay clear of the thorns Apollo

rains upon the heads of the war-hard deaf.”

my end rightly apportioned, I laid amidst

the sweet cherry blossoms in the stillness

of this swaddled orchard, the saltpeter mist

of a grand conflagration now beyond us,

my only sorrow never having been kissed...

“Stand fast you b******s, lost sons of b*****s.

It's now or never. Hell's the only place

that waiting. A shallow grave of ditches

for any who toss their faith and turn face...”

I sought what life sought to deny the meek

lambs of submission, that dull existence

of pastoral subsistence. The odd leek

scavenged from a flinty harvest. Two pence

and a pint, the Preacher's blessing of the week.

Ken e Bujold

2022

Reviews

[willweb]

That took me on a journey and it was nice to witness it from above and not actually be a part of it, though it sure felt like I was at times. That was really cool.

[Ken e Bujold]

glad you enjoyed will, thanks for review and stop by again when you have some time

[Coyote Poetry]

Yes Ken. My father left many in shallow graves and everyone haunted his memory till his death.
“Stand fast you b******s, lost sons of b*****s.
It's now or never. Hell's the only place
that waiting. A shallow grave of ditches
for any who toss their faith and turn face..."
In my time in the Army, I have put many in mass graves. There faces don't haunt me. I did pray for them to find another place to be. To know peace and happiness. Ken, my poor father saw faces of dead men for 50 years. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Ken e Bujold]

same with my maternal grandfather Coyote. Mil intelligence WW2, who had the horrors of Dieppe, D Day and Antwerp in his mind to the day he died. This poem, the more I think on it, in light of the reviews, took me subconsciously to alot of places. History, which I love, aging perspective, I feel myself in the narrator, as well as the father, the commander of the verse you cite, from a religous ambivalent point of view I hold in the last stanza. It is all here. Thanks for your kind review

[Coyote Poetry]

The men of WW2 were so strong. 20,000 men on a beach, killed and they kept their sanity. Hard to grasp my friend Ken. I was at Death Valley. I did many mercy killings. Men in pieces. we pray together before I killed them. War, no-one can win my friend. War steals the best from us.
Coyote

[Ken e Bujold]

it does, and I am thankful, for men such as yourself, my grandfather and all the nameless ones, for the life I have been able to live violence free

[Coyote Poetry]

I saw the violence of our world Ken. With Ukraine, we are dancing on the end. Nuclear weapons my friend. Our last dance.

[Red Brick Keshner]

Apart from the invective (I kept hearing Cap retorting, "Language!" in the back of my reading head-voice) it was a poem worth its salt in ingots. It had everything in it worked together and worked together well. Something you want in a period based piece. It may not be how they would have written but it is fresh and contemporary and I see it being read by many more young ones can dig their teeth into in terms of history! I envision it as text in a graphic novel style layout. Perhaps an apt illustrator will take up this concept and together fly with it.

[Ken e Bujold]

it is a contemporary take indeed on an old world using a traditional form. History should be a living breathing organism. as for language, well the school poets we read might have used daintier terms but having read enough working-class journals and such of the period, salt was not a missing ingredient from the language :)

[Red Brick Keshner]

Which is why I had no qualms about reading it for such realism's sake. Some, though, add some here and their to sound cool or to add effect rather than a considered poetic aspect integral to the organic unity itself. A dish without its salt is not worth eating either. Hence a sensible thing to bring one's personal salt and pepper shaker. I was pleasantly surprised to chance upon some travel sized ones quite readily for sale.

[Rafia Anjum]

the poem is written with melancholy and a positive mood which is also reflecting the phase of life.The author successfully conveys the complex meaning of life's journey.

[Ken e Bujold]

thank you for the visit and review Rafja. yes it is a reflection of life, one young soldier's on his last breath going backwards in time

[Rafia Anjum]

Great narrative

[John the Baptist]

At first I thought this one might be a reflection of the poet's own experience, but as soon as I saw the name "Cornwallis," I knew we were seeing a recreation of some 18th century battle. As the poet is of French Canadian descent, I thought the fight depicted might be a part of the Seven Years War, but Cornwallis never fought in Canada. I had to conclude it had to do with something that happened not far from where I live, the siege of Yorktown in 1781. We are now celebrating the anniversary of that momentous event. The work is very moving, showing a young man's resolve in the last moments of his life.

[Ken e Bujold]

yes the place is indeed Yorktown John. Why? Don't know other than it seemed a poetic jumping-off point between the emergence of an old and new world turning point. The genesis for the poem as I have mentioned in other reviews comments is a John Keegan essay where he used a line which I jumbled a bit, better to be a footman. The poem also probably now that I reflect a bit more born of a old Thom Gunn poem which reflected on a soldier's reminiscing on the siege of Troy. History for me is a living entity, something that can teach us moderns when viewed through lens of our own times. All this went into the soup and the broth gave me this. Glad you enjoyed

[Maxwell Ryder]

This genre fits you well. You must have a knack for history as well. What kind do you like? I have tried my luck at some WW1 poetry, but I’m no Owen or Sassoon to be sure. You have successfully stepped back a few centuries though. Cheers Bard

[Ken e Bujold]

Thanks for the review Max. yes I enjoy history. indeed I love reading. Anything and everything, including back of the cereal box. How words are constructed into meaning is magical to me. In the case of this poem the geneis was John Keegan's "War in our World" Reith Lectures" which included a great line that went somewhat like better an infantryman than... it stuck in my head. Twenty plus yrs later it finds its way into a modified form here. I am also a big fan of Owens..Anthem of Doomed Youth is among the finest poems of all time as far as I am concerned

[Maxwell Ryder]

Anthem is nice, yes. But I do the gas poem for my humanities kids at school. Good for kids’ attentions, more onomatopoeic, I guess. Good to know, I will check it out. Thanks.

[Dave Brown]

another extremely fine piece
deserves much more exposure

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks Dave. we can live and hope

[Lillian Kirsch]

The imagery here is quite beautiful, really. It conjures up some heavy emotions and the whole poem reminds me of my own mortality. Well done.

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks for visit and glad you enjoyed the poem Lillian

[Neville]

Odds bodkins, gadzooks and by saint John sir Ken .. As far as I am concerned, these words of yours deserve to go down in history too sir .. A finer bit o history poemed I doubt I shall encounter for quite some time :)

[Ken e Bujold]

merci buckets neville

[Relic]

How refreshing to see a bit of history, and how well it is told. 1776 I believe? You've captured the heart and mind of a soldier to the tee. I can see him on the battlefield, preparing to face the enemies of war, yet his innocence through his thoughts has been exposed.

I fear not enough will review this, but hopefully I'm wrong. It's an excellent poem written with a splendid pen. My hats off to you, sir. :)

[Ken e Bujold]

thank you relic. I hope too, but we shall see. It was kicking round in my head along time from a line read in John Keegan's essays on War: the line was Better a footman than the infantry...I loved it so much but took yrs to finally pop up into a poem