Haunted Gettysburg
People joke about the ghosts...
They smile when they ask if you took the tours or saw anything.
But they haven't come here.
They haven't walked these fields or they would know
Of course there must be ghosts.
How could there not be?
When you think a moment
About what happened here
Of course there must be ghosts.
All those bullets, all those shells
The lucky ones who died at once,
The others who lingered, suffering.
Of course there must be ghosts.
And what of those who stood
In the green of the cemetary
And listened to the tall man speak
Of the last full measure of devotion.
Of course there must be ghosts.
And what of those who survived.
Who went back home when it all was done
Tried to keep the peace their generals had made.
They must come back here too.
They must return to this place
Where great deeds were done by "ordinary" men.
They must find their brothers again.
Of course there must be ghosts.
I love this! And the mantra "of course there must be ghosts". goosebumps!
ReplyDeleteMeg, I love this, too! I have been to Gettysburg, walked the battlefield, listened to the docents who re-enact the times and revive real characters, viewed the light display of the battle in the darkened auditorium. Your poem evokes the emotion that I felt the day I was there.
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Oh, this is really touching and (dare I say it?) haunting. I agree with mod mom--I love the repetition of "of course there must be ghosts." A lovely tribute to a deeply tragic moment in history.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Gettysburg, hoping to get there though! Nice poem!
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