Inspired by the Battle of Cain Hill, fought on November 28, 1862 near Fayetteville, Arkansas. I can't confirm that he was present at the battle, but my great-grandfather, Richard Dickens, was assigned to one of the units.
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Civil War-an oxymoron...Family against family, tainting the earth with spillage of innocent blood...your dramatic and well-written poem so poignantly drives this home in the gentle, innocent words of a young boy and his tragic death by the hand of a cousin. Your great-grandfather (amazing picture) must have seen so much devastation. Excellent use of historical facts, colloquial language of the period, beautiful form, flow, cadence, imagery and rhyme. Took my breath away Sam. Kudos for this important and touching memorial.
Posted 6 Years Ago
2 of 2 people found this review constructive.
6 Years Ago
Thank you, Annette. I wish we could learn from our mistakes.
Very good poem for some reason it brought to mind Thomas Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge', which is one of my favorites, so I guess that's a good thing. Would you consider on putting an 'our' between seen and cousin? In my mind it would help the flow.
Posted 11 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
11 Years Ago
Thanks, Jack.Your suggestion sounds good, so I'll do it.
This was so well written. And the ending was so unexpected! The imagery, was superb. I felt like I was the one standing there in shock, when cousin Hugh fired off his shot. Excellent! ^_^
My fear was always that if I had a son...he might be sent to war...and not return. I have two sons. I feel the sadness you have portrayed Sam. A horrible happening and it is happening today, too, I bet. Poor aunt Martha. Poor cousin Hugh. Poor everybody in this piece.
Greetings, all. I'm a seventy-six year-old father of three sons who enjoys writing, art, music, motorcycles, cooking, and a few other things. From 1967 to 1988, I served in the US Navy, where I travel.. more..