Would you like to hear me read this poem?
Check this out on Chirbit
This is What War Looks Like
Noble cannons alight
upon historic hills,
peek over manicured ruins,
rail fences, swaying fields,
resplendently wrapped in honor.
Sing a valiant warrior's song,
one of glory well worth the loss
of an ideal vanquished.
This is what war looks like
when what lies beneath
gleaming waves of grain
and shining rows of corn
is forgotten.
by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, July 12, 2012
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| A classic photo of Confederate Dead in Front of Dunker Church |
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| A historic photo of "The Sunken Road" aka "The Bloody Lane" |
and Friday Flash 55, a story in 55 words, no more no less.
Also linking this up with Imaginary Garden with Real Toad's "Open Link Monday".
My poem is not to treat lightly the notion that slavery was/is wrong and evil. It is simply a commentary on how we often paint war - before and after. Did you know that General Robert E. Lee did not own slaves, did not believe in slavery - yet he lead the South in the Civil War. Prior towards the Civil War he was strongly attached to the Union and was no sympathizer to slave holders. I believe his "battle" was what he believed was written in the Constituion and fought for Virginia's right as a state to succeed from the Union.
31 comments:
i did not know that about robert e. lee. and the photos are sickening...
really nice close on this margaret...on the forgetting when lies beneath....nice...def his own personal beliefs put quite the spin on th history for many...and something we should consider going forward...
Powerful pics and words.
brilliantly expressed. now if only we'd learn and stop spilling blood that only winds up forgotten.
Margaret Bednar...
I've been to Antietam, almost as moving as Gettysburg.
It's where Stonewall Jackson got his nickname!!
Your poem and reflective period pics were PERFECT.
You are a wonderful gift to us all!
Thanks for playing, it's great to be back, and have a Kick Ass Week-End.....G
Margaret- Amazing... love the ending... great piece!
That ending line was a sad one for me ~ Enjoyed your pictures and history notes ~
Love this, Margaret. I have visited a lot of battlefields, and I've often felt that if I could just be still enough, I would hear the gun fire, feel the fear. You captured that sense so well.
Truly brilliant poetry. We so often forget that the Civil War was not originally about freeing slaves, but the rights of states.
Very well said. It's hard to remember the bones when you're busy looking at grass.
Powerful photos and meaningful words.
Thanks for doing Friday 55!
Mine's here. :)
It was ever thus. War is such an ugly thing that we have to cloak it in beautiful concepts and symbols, forget the ugly truth. Then because we've forgotten, we do it again.
And the scars wars leave run deep...
Powerful both pictures and your 55.
There is nothing glorious about war, is there?
Enjoyed the little snippets of history in your follow up notes too.
Margaret,
These are stunning. It is so important to have these reminders of what war looks like. Thank you. Your entries always enrich the process. Thank you.
Oh you can feel the spirits underfoot- in the air, shadows behind trees- Phew... no lie. It is scary. Anyway thanks for sharing...
LOVE you pic up on top! Yum!
and I may have to think about that book although it seems disrespectful-
Why would someone want to make his memory a Vampire? cuz he's pale and tall and thin and dark!?
America has a long tradition of glorifying its wars. Too bad we don't have an equally long tradition of praising peace. A solemnly thoughtful 55, Margaret.
Thank you for knowing that fact about Robert E. Lee. Everyone from the confederacy seems to be painted with the same brush, regardless of the truth. Slavery was horrific, yet there were more reasons than one for the Civil War.
Well done!
What a gorgeous ending!
And we never learn from our previous wars, do we?
Ditto the wise Doctor.
Surely Civil Wars are about as destructive as we can get.
The things we learn from fellow bloggers! I did not know that about Gen'l Lee!
Very classic way of presenting it, Marge! We can immediately see the contrast and appreciate the serenity to the destruction. The b/w as contrasted to the colored is the added icing. Appreciate this Ma'am! Great!
Hank
The photo makes a real statement - the peaceful fields, the ominous nose of the cannon. Your poem is extremely effective, the closing lines bring the reader up short and make one think. Really really good.
Quite the thoughtful poem! Just the right touch of solemnity in this.
"Time heals" is not such a magical axiom! Sometimes healing is not the answer, but remembering the consequences of action is. Fields growing over war zones mask the horrors but should not hide the truth. Powerful post!
I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been to fight there that day.
What a powerful ending, Margaret:
"This is what war looks like
when what lies beneath
gleaming waves of grain
and shining rows of corn
is forgotten."
Excellent turn. I wasn't expecting that.
Ack - there is crackling wisdom in those closing lines. How very true, we forget as soon as we don't see. The most horrific battle fields can become fields of peace, their secrets buried deep. Wow...this poem totally rocks.
History and sadness.
Very well written!
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