Shiloh
One morning
Centuries ago
Cousins for their causes
Played battle
Little Boys
Living battle
Little Boys
Forever
A country on their shoulders
Drumbeats strike their souls
Honor Thy Country
Drumbeats strike their hearts
Honor Thy Father
Drumbeats and tears
Honor Thy Mother
Lives stopped short
For the cause
The cause that was alive
Young
Full
Life in the moment
Forgive him for his sins
Forgive him for his cousin on the field
In the name of
Salvation of his country
His own redemption
He lives
He breathes
He shall die
Not alone forever
Cousins for their causes
Slain on the field
The future was theirs
A new world
Not to be had
They are our past
Remembered by those unknown to them
Indebted to them
Forever together
Honor thy brother
–EKS, 5.27.09
This is inspired by two cousins in my family who died at Shiloh, one for the South and one for the North.
Lora says
“the future was theirs”
that truth hurts me deeper than anything when we lose someone
Haley says
How sad. I can’t imagine what the family felt back then. A travesty. Like in “Band of Brothers” when Malarky comes across a captured German soldier who was from Oregon (like him) who’s family was German so he came back to his “motherland” to fight. They sat and talked about all the things they had in common. Then as Malarky was walking away from him, back to the camp, he heard another American soldier shoot all the captive German soldiers. Breaks my heart everytime I watch it. I can’t imagine it being family.
Jo says
This has brought tears to my eyes too!