A poem by Alan Dugan
Because of the unaccountable spirit of the troops
oh we were marched as we were never marched before
and flanked them off from home. Stupid Meade
was after them, head on to tail, but we convinced
him, finally, to flank, flank, cut off their head.
He finally understood, the idiot, and got a fort
named after him, for wisdom. He probably thought
Lee would conquer Washington from Appomattox
if he, Meade, should march his infantry behind
him, Lee. Ah well, the unaccountable spirit of the troops
triumphed, Meade got his fort, Grant got his presidency,
Sherman got his motto, what was it? War is heck?, Lee got a military school
for the education of young Southern gentlemen, and the Union
Army was taken over by Southern noncommissioned officers
in the wars against the Indians to the west. I know all
about this, I know who won, I served under them
for three hundred and fifty years in World War II,
just long enough not to be called a rookie but a veteran,
and realized the rank and order of my enemies:
first, the West Point officers; second, the red-neck sergeants;
third, the Nazis and perhaps the Japanese. I won
all of these wars as a private soldier, for a while,
and am happy to have done so: without me
Hitler and Hirohito would he ruling the world
instead of America and Russia, but I still will not
drive through Georgia with New York license plates.
A few random poems:
- Every Sect has a Faith – Har Qaum Raast Raahay poem – Amir Khusro poems | Poems and Poetry
- English Poetry. Madison Julius Cawein. Finale. Мэдисон Джулиус Кавейн.
- England’s Answer by Rudyard Kipling
- After Midnight by Walid Saba
- The Challenge: A Court Ballad poem – Alexander Pope
- Николай Карамзин – Анакреонтические стихи А. А. Петрову
- The Birth Of Love by William Wordsworth
- Стефан Малларме – Весеннее обновление
- Day That I Have Loved by Rupert Brooke
- Book Ninth [Residence in France] by William Wordsworth
- Sketch in Verse, inscribed to the Right Hon. C. J. Fox by Robert Burns
- Coming to Terms by Mary Etta Metcalf
- Николай Гербель – Введение к поэме
- The Haughty Snail-King by Vachel Lindsay
- Heart To Heart by Rita Dove
External links
Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus
Talking Writing Monster’s Page –
Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh
Poems in English
- Flowers of Sion: Sonnet 3 – Look how the flower by William Drummond
- Flowers of Sion: Sonnet 11 – The last and greatest herald by William Drummond
- Flowers From Sion: Sonnet 25 – More oft than once death whispered by William Drummond
- Faith by John Oxenham
- Exodus Of The Heart by Wilmer Escovar
- Everymaid by John Oxenham
- E.A. Nov. 6, 1900 by John Oxenham
- Don’t Worry by John Oxenham
- Dedication by Wole Soyinka
- Darkness And Light by John Oxenham
- Countrywomen by Katherine Mansfield
- Cold by Witt Wittmann
- Civilian and Soldier by Wole Soyinka
- Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women by Anne Sexton
- Bring Us The Light by John Oxenham
- Better And Best by John Oxenham
- Because I’ve Learned by William Ellery Leonard
- Alone You Passed by William Ellery Leonard
- All’s Well! by John Oxenham
- Aftershock by William Marr
More external links (open in a new tab):
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Alan Dugan (1923 – 2003) an American poet, a contemporary classic of American poetry.