~The Dragon Flies Lair~

Poets | August 27, 2003 | bentfeather

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Everybody.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

Coffee & Donuts

[SAMWolf]

Midnight On The Battle Field.



'Tis midnight on the battle field,
The wind's low moan is chill,
Our army's on the march again,
After the battle of Chancellorsville;
The drum's slow beat
And weary feet
Tell of courage tried;
Brave souls, of honor born,
Their manly leader's pride.

The moonbeam's silvery gleam
Gilds with beauty that marl of death;
Hushed and silent now,
Is the angry foeman's breath;
All peaceful, still,
They slumber on the hill,
While the sentinel stars above
Look down in sorrow,
From seraph lands of love.

The prowling eat and hungry wolf
Have gathered on the mead,
They tear anew, in heaven's view,
Wounds of death that bleed;
Their famished jaws
And angry claws
Tear with a sensation sore
Flesh from the fairest form
A mother ever bore.

The sinless angels of the sky
Shudder such sights to see,
While some soldier's soul
Goes speeding away to the realms of eternity;
Alone in the darkness there,
Grown frantic with despair,
Some slowly-dying soul
Struggles the burial clods
From his bosom to roll.

Thus the cheerless night went by,
And the misty morning gray
Broke up in the dull sky,
Where the dead and dying lay;
While all along the line
Some shattered pine,
Or strong oaken hold,
Grim tales of war
Their story told.

John Preston Canpell.

[snippy_about_it]

Held tight in my hand
The Tarawa crew and you
I love my lanyard

[snippy_about_it]

Midnight on the Battlefield, another good find. Thanks.

[Conspiracy Guy]

The War is obvious, but what year was it written?

[SAMWolf]

Not sure when it was written but it was published in 1885

[SAMWolf]

AWWWWWWWWWWW!

What a beautiful Haiku.

[Conspiracy Guy]

OK it is from the period. Very good poem and I've never seen it before.

[SAMWolf]

I like trying to find the "little known" poems. There are a lot of good ones out there.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you SAM.

;)

[Conspiracy Guy]

I know. As an adult I read little poetry because good stuff is hard to find. Thanks for sharing it.

[Soaring Feather]

Hi Snippy,

Love your poem. Poetry does not have to rhyme. You are doing a great job with Free Verse writing.

Have a quick chance to pop on to FR and check my thread. Everyone is doing a wonderful job keeping it going for me. I am indebted to you all.
Thanks so much snippy for posting your poem here.

I am well and having a wonderful time visiting friends in our great and wonderful country.

Hope to have my wireless up to snuff soon. It has been very frustrating for me. :-( Oh well, that's life isn't it?

[Soaring Feather]

Flurry,

I want to thank you so very much for posting in The Dragons Flies Lair. Sam does a fantastic job locating and posting just right graphics and poetry.

Sam is a very good poet on his own. He writes great Haiku, something yours truly does not do. I am far too wordy. :-)

feather

[Soaring Feather]

Sam,

Hi friend!!! How be ya? Thanks so much for the great postings in the Lair. You're finding really good stuff.

As I move around our great nation I'm hoping my wireless issues will be resolved.

So Sam, what's new? Sheeeeesh I am behind on all the news?
:-(

Thanks again, and you know who much I love the Wolf Feather Graphic. Man what a history we are gathering. LOL

[Conspiracy Guy]

I will post some of my serious work someday. I too can be wordy but always feel better if I get it said in a few words.

I really haven't tried Haiku.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you feather. Are you trying to encourage me? LOL.

Hurry back.

[SAMWolf]

I'm relatively new to poetry, didn't care much for it as a kid and I tend to like poems that tell a story and doesn't need to be "interpreted".

[SAMWolf]

You're welcome Feather. Just enjoy your vacation.

[Soaring Feather]

Please do post your work. Don't worry about people critiquing your work, we don't do that here.

Don't worry about Haiku either, Sam and Snippy do it very well. Me I don't worry about it. :-)

I am very happy you found this thread. Take care and I'll be looking for your work.

[Soaring Feather]

Hi snippy,

Still here for a bit. I will post a poem a little later on.

Boy, no having internet access is really giving me the hives big time. Sheeeeeesh!!!! I'm on a friends puter now and don't have much time. :-( Well, I guess I'll live. :-)