Mother:
Morning comes with heavy humid breath,
scorching horizon’s hills with red warning fire;
northerly breezes carry the scent of death
marching to the drumbeat of Yankee desire.
scorching horizon’s hills with red warning fire;
northerly breezes carry the scent of death
marching to the drumbeat of Yankee desire.
Mother:
I smell your sweet potato pie when I close my eyes;
brief seconds remembering kisses on my cheek
before I’d go to the fields where I’d try
to fill daddy’s’s worn out shoes and seek
work to help ease your burden and blistered feet.
brief seconds remembering kisses on my cheek
before I’d go to the fields where I’d try
to fill daddy’s’s worn out shoes and seek
work to help ease your burden and blistered feet.
Mother:
I hear your prayers and I weep
because I know I must die and not cheat
reasons I carry the Rebel flag and cry
the rebel yell to help stem the invading blue tide
from flooding our land and your garden of greens.
I could care less about the “Southern” dream,
or slaves, I just protect my daddy’s bride; my
because I know I must die and not cheat
reasons I carry the Rebel flag and cry
the rebel yell to help stem the invading blue tide
from flooding our land and your garden of greens.
I could care less about the “Southern” dream,
or slaves, I just protect my daddy’s bride; my
Mother:
Dawn’s final day has winked
Daddy’s waving,
Blood from your womb pools at my knees,
And I savor the love in the scent of your sweet potato pie.
Daddy’s waving,
Blood from your womb pools at my knees,
And I savor the love in the scent of your sweet potato pie.
For One Shot Wednesday – Week Fifty
Call me Hanq 
Oh .. You had my eyes all welled up with this immensely beautiful poem, Henry…Sometimes, when duty calls, the choice between motherland and mother is a little too weighty to handle :-(And you have expressed this so wonderfully here, my friend..I could picture many a brave and dying soldier singing this during their final moments… Oh how terrible it must be, to die like that!! Proud, and yet.. So sad…I applaud to this excellent poem!!!
Love and nourishment always hold hands…
This is a wonderfully powerful and evocative piece. I have included several Civil War poems in my new chapbook "Patina", by the way.
henry is a masterpiece…full of emotion and historical reference…and evocative of the senses
Overwhelming. I loved the piece especially the phrase "My daddy's bride". Beautiful.
Very well crafted! Very well thought of presentation.. :)Great work again xox
such a heavy topic and you filled it with such life, love and scents that the ugliness becomes even bigger with every stanza…fantastic work henry
Holy smokes, Poet! This is a stunning example of lyrical brilliance! The imagery alone is to die for, but when you take the rhythm, the perfect form and flow, it reaches an even higher point of perfection. I only hope that one day I might be able to write this way…this is what I strive for and I thank you for this today…I am so very happy I found the time to stop by…and again, many thanks for your visits as well 🙂 Power to the poets, and you are fast topping my list! 🙂
This is so good, Henry. I also felt like crying. So many young lives lost, so many mothers left without their children, so many widows (as my own mother was is WWII) Beautiful way of presenting this topic.
You touched the heartbreak and sad passion that has filled many a poor soldiers hearts I am sure. Great flow
with all the wars going on and many of the servicemen and women so young, i've actually wondered if they cry for their mother as they die. this brought me to tears. beautifully written.
Enjoyed it. And yes, scent is one of the first and strongest sense connected with emotion.