"sumter" poems - Hello Poetry

~one more for the r man~ almost Monday and its weighty five day oppressive lead poisoning on the horizon, is but a thirsty thirty six minutes away from its fortified Sumter, first shot to be fired at midnight, how we love to mark the commencement of hostilities and killing but I am already wounded, a casualty of having spent evening with pleading, pleasing timer eating, reading of your work, r the sounds of inestimable admiration and infectious jealousy make this old man eager to discard a lifetimes work and begin fresh, but only as a copyist of you, r I know you’re thinking "what in the hell is he blubbering about?" so I willingly will my confessional offering in the dark of the holy bedroom; for you make me eat my words, and spit them out as wastage, in dumbfounding humility god you and yours, make me frail and blessed that I stumbled upon your abbreviations of the human life, r shut up and accept my three r’s reading ‘riting and rising up to sing hymns of praise for a man with a historical perspective and whose few occasionals are carved in the granite bench of what makes my life worthy of load bearing; more than bearable, all are soul-enlightened by baring our humility, our admiration 11:24pm 4/15/18 nyc

0

Apr 15, 2018

Apr 15, 2018 at 11:53 PM UTC

nat-lipstadt

the three r’s (one last one for r)

~one more for the r man~ almost Monday and its weighty five day oppressive lead poisoning on the horizon, is but a thirsty thirty six minutes away from its fortified Sumter, first shot to be fired at midnight, how we love to mark the commencement of hostilities and killing but I am already wounded, a casualty of having spent evening with pleading, pleasing timer eating, reading of your work, r the sounds of inestimable admiration and infectious jealousy make this old man eager to discard a lifetimes work and begin fresh, but only as a copyist of you, r I know you’re thinking "what in the hell is he blubbering about?" so I willingly will my confessional offering in the dark of the holy bedroom; for you make me eat my words, and spit them out as wastage, in dumbfounding humility god you and yours, make me frail and blessed that I stumbled upon your abbreviations of the human life, r shut up and accept my three r’s reading ‘riting and rising up to sing hymns of praise for a man with a historical perspective and whose few occasionals are carved in the granite bench of what makes my life worthy of load bearing; more than bearable, all are soul-enlightened by baring our humility, our admiration 11:24pm 4/15/18 nyc

30

Perilous voyages of small watercraft at sea , amphibious landings on well defended beachheads , Clipper ships whaling on distant oceans , military vessels in armed conflict , night of relentless cannon fire , explosive reflections across shark infested waters , treasure maps and chest laden with gold , rubies and pieces of eight , the cry of Viking warriors on the rugged coast of Newfoundland .. Pirates just off the shores of the Carolinas .. Forts Pulaski , Sumter and Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas .. Oil platforms racked by ferocious winds on the Gulf of Mexico .. Union and Confederate battles on Mobile Bay , Riverboats traversing the Mississippi ..Tending barges along the Ohio ..On high alert through Georgia's intracoastal waterways ....

0

Nov 19, 2015

Nov 19, 2015 at 12:39 PM UTC

randolph-l-wilson

Plastic Cowboys and Toy Ships

Perilous voyages of small watercraft at sea , amphibious landings on well defended beachheads , Clipper ships whaling on distant oceans , military vessels in armed conflict , night of relentless cannon fire , explosive reflections across shark infested waters , treasure maps and chest laden with gold , rubies and pieces of eight , the cry of Viking warriors on the rugged coast of Newfoundland .. Pirates just off the shores of the Carolinas .. Forts Pulaski , Sumter and Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas .. Oil platforms racked by ferocious winds on the Gulf of Mexico .. Union and Confederate battles on Mobile Bay , Riverboats traversing the Mississippi ..Tending barges along the Ohio ..On high alert through Georgia's intracoastal waterways ....

3

The year of Eighteen Sixty Five Lincoln, shot and dead The war was all but over Destruction in it's stead Blue and Grey divided A nation great and strong Was there ever a true winner? So much of this was wrong Brothers against brothers Tearing families apart It was a war with different issues At Fort Sumter did it start Slaves were not the forefront When the war became a war It was a war to stop secession Then it became so much more Johnny Reb comes marching home Not the home that he once knew It was now a state of new rebuilding There was no more Grey, just Blue Did it truly make the country Unified under one flag? Or did it become so much more splintered Under a torn and tattered rag? A President was murdered But, the war, continued on The ties that once did bind them Were now just truly gone The beauty of the country Burned on Shermans' seaward trek Left the Southern states demolished And the plantations, just a wreck The slaves were granted freedom Through Emancipation at the end But, in the south, it never happened The landowners had to bend Although the war was over Slaves were free men after all But, with nowhere left to go to It was like a game without a ball Many stayed and cropshared Worked the same land as before Now, they worked the land as freemen Nothing less, and nothing more Brothers still divided Blue and Grey deep in their souls Almost eight score years have passed And the nation is still not whole Grant and Lee at Appomatox Ended the war and sent men on their way But, it took days for the message to be heard and Many more died in those days Three Quarters of a Million Lost their lives, in this young nation One thing never altered The place of a man's station It split apart the country Broke it down, to build anew But, did it really matter Now, with Johnny Reb in Blue?

0

Jan 18, 2013

Jan 18, 2013 at 8:33 PM UTC

roger-turner

Johnny comes marching home

The year of Eighteen Sixty Five Lincoln, shot and dead The war was all but over Destruction in it's stead Blue and Grey divided A nation great and strong Was there ever a true winner? So much of this was wrong Brothers against brothers Tearing families apart It was a war with different issues At Fort Sumter did it start Slaves were not the forefront When the war became a war It was a war to stop secession Then it became so much more Johnny Reb comes marching home Not the home that he once knew It was now a state of new rebuilding There was no more Grey, just Blue Did it truly make the country Unified under one flag? Or did it become so much more splintered Under a torn and tattered rag? A President was murdered But, the war, continued on The ties that once did bind them Were now just truly gone The beauty of the country Burned on Shermans' seaward trek Left the Southern states demolished And the plantations, just a wreck The slaves were granted freedom Through Emancipation at the end But, in the south, it never happened The landowners had to bend Although the war was over Slaves were free men after all But, with nowhere left to go to It was like a game without a ball Many stayed and cropshared Worked the same land as before Now, they worked the land as freemen Nothing less, and nothing more Brothers still divided Blue and Grey deep in their souls Almost eight score years have passed And the nation is still not whole Grant and Lee at Appomatox Ended the war and sent men on their way But, it took days for the message to be heard and Many more died in those days Three Quarters of a Million Lost their lives, in this young nation One thing never altered The place of a man's station It split apart the country Broke it down, to build anew But, did it really matter Now, with Johnny Reb in Blue?

60

Sumter, Gettysburg, Sherman's March, Battles and fights, lives lost Because of differences along the people. Aren't people supposed to be different? We, as a country, are not meant To agree. To belong in one room, repeating the same thing. We will change the words. Say them in a different order. And men will die because of those words. Those exact thought patterns. Rights and laws are perceived In different ways, As well as morality. When it all began at Sumter, no one died. It was a statement. A declaration of war. At Gettysburg, it was a trick. A chilly, Silly idea. And it was used to make One of the greatest statements about war Ever to leave someone's lips. Honoring The dead and the living. The country and the people. And the turning point of the fight between brothers. Sherman's March was a move made by The union as a mode of total war. Supply lines were cut and Victory for the north was guaranteed. Railroads were destroyed, towns were raided, and Rebels were pushed east. They had lost.

0

Jun 10, 2014

Jun 10, 2014 at 8:21 PM UTC

trip-through-time

End to End

Sumter, Gettysburg, Sherman's March, Battles and fights, lives lost Because of differences along the people. Aren't people supposed to be different? We, as a country, are not meant To agree. To belong in one room, repeating the same thing. We will change the words. Say them in a different order. And men will die because of those words. Those exact thought patterns. Rights and laws are perceived In different ways, As well as morality. When it all began at Sumter, no one died. It was a statement. A declaration of war. At Gettysburg, it was a trick. A chilly, Silly idea. And it was used to make One of the greatest statements about war Ever to leave someone's lips. Honoring The dead and the living. The country and the people. And the turning point of the fight between brothers. Sherman's March was a move made by The union as a mode of total war. Supply lines were cut and Victory for the north was guaranteed. Railroads were destroyed, towns were raided, and Rebels were pushed east. They had lost.

28

The war began at Fort Sumter It was launched by the greys not the blues John Brown defended his actions It was now the South's war to lose Brothers were turned against brothers The states were at war from that night The country was clearly in trouble And with one shot, did begin the fight It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky In the summer of nineteen sixteen On an island known here as "Black Tom" Munitions reserved for the allies Were sabotaged, bullet and bomb The US now entered the World War They were allies but not really allied When another plant blew up in Kingsland America, came in from the side It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky The second world war was in progress America was sitting it out When Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbour They were at war, of this there was no doubt Almost one half of a million Americans died in that war They died fighting for freedom Just think, there could have been more It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky Television brought war to the masses A young soldier seen from Ojai Interviewed leaving for battle He was leaving, not hoping to die Veterans came back to no fanfare They weren't hero's, the war was not theirs Back home, they now fought a new battle Thrown away, where nobody cares It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky The Gulf War began in the nineties A war fought like none ever seen Targets were sighted by missiles Watched on monitors all lit up in green And then came nine eleven The war was now brought to our land I support the soldiers for going to battle And if you meet one, go shake his hand It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky Freedom is something you fight for It's something you celebrate too Sons, Daughters and wives have laid down their lives So we can all live like we do It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky

0

May 10, 2017

May 10, 2017 at 9:02 PM UTC

roger-turner

Celebrate Freedom

The war began at Fort Sumter It was launched by the greys not the blues John Brown defended his actions It was now the South's war to lose Brothers were turned against brothers The states were at war from that night The country was clearly in trouble And with one shot, did begin the fight It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky In the summer of nineteen sixteen On an island known here as "Black Tom" Munitions reserved for the allies Were sabotaged, bullet and bomb The US now entered the World War They were allies but not really allied When another plant blew up in Kingsland America, came in from the side It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky The second world war was in progress America was sitting it out When Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbour They were at war, of this there was no doubt Almost one half of a million Americans died in that war They died fighting for freedom Just think, there could have been more It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky Television brought war to the masses A young soldier seen from Ojai Interviewed leaving for battle He was leaving, not hoping to die Veterans came back to no fanfare They weren't hero's, the war was not theirs Back home, they now fought a new battle Thrown away, where nobody cares It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky The Gulf War began in the nineties A war fought like none ever seen Targets were sighted by missiles Watched on monitors all lit up in green And then came nine eleven The war was now brought to our land I support the soldiers for going to battle And if you meet one, go shake his hand It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky Freedom is something you fight for It's something you celebrate too Sons, Daughters and wives have laid down their lives So we can all live like we do It's time to celebrate freedom On a day eating hot dogs and pie Towns decorated with bunting As fire works light up the sky

68

A man was elected with no view on the most controversial issue. Ignoramus within the southern states believed This man to be a danger to their lifestyle and their Wanted rights. One by one, they became their own. One fort, Sumter, became a commonplace for Controversy. Belonging to the north, within the Newly founded Confederate States, the fort was tossed back and forth in a game of table tennis. A threat of war hovered above their heads, but supplies were sent. No weapons. No orders to attack. Complete neutrality. The attack came from an impatient general Beauregard, Who ordered his men to open fire, In a hope to force evacuation and surrender. It worked. And all hell broke loose.

0

Jun 10, 2014

Jun 10, 2014 at 7:58 PM UTC

trip-through-time

Brother Against Brother (war)

A man was elected with no view on the most controversial issue. Ignoramus within the southern states believed This man to be a danger to their lifestyle and their Wanted rights. One by one, they became their own. One fort, Sumter, became a commonplace for Controversy. Belonging to the north, within the Newly founded Confederate States, the fort was tossed back and forth in a game of table tennis. A threat of war hovered above their heads, but supplies were sent. No weapons. No orders to attack. Complete neutrality. The attack came from an impatient general Beauregard, Who ordered his men to open fire, In a hope to force evacuation and surrender. It worked. And all hell broke loose.

16

Boy is my *** fat ten pancakes for breakfast, washed down with malted shake by the end of first class, I was searching for some cake wasn't paying attention, tripped over old black cat had a hard time getting up, cause my *** is so fat kids are staring at me, Walking through the halls rumbeling thunder, stuff falling off the walls a large dose of poundage, with my backwards baseball hat trying to look so cool, but boy is my *** fat saw Sally Sumter, on my way to advanced math 2 said I had an algorithm, I'd like to run by you wanted to stick around a while, you know like maybe chat, she said I really like you, but boy is your *** fat tried to skip gym class, said I had no **** did not know the numbers, to my combination lock coach said that's no reason, I ain't buying that one thing i will say though, boy is your *** fat its the story of my life, all people pokin fun ask me how much I weigh, do you way a ton want to tell them **** off, but they'd throw me on the mat not very agile, cause my *** is so **** fat Gomer Lepoet

0

Jun 10, 2010

Jun 10, 2010 at 1:28 PM UTC

david-nelson

Boy is my *** fat

Boy is my *** fat ten pancakes for breakfast, washed down with malted shake by the end of first class, I was searching for some cake wasn't paying attention, tripped over old black cat had a hard time getting up, cause my *** is so fat kids are staring at me, Walking through the halls rumbeling thunder, stuff falling off the walls a large dose of poundage, with my backwards baseball hat trying to look so cool, but boy is my *** fat saw Sally Sumter, on my way to advanced math 2 said I had an algorithm, I'd like to run by you wanted to stick around a while, you know like maybe chat, she said I really like you, but boy is your *** fat tried to skip gym class, said I had no **** did not know the numbers, to my combination lock coach said that's no reason, I ain't buying that one thing i will say though, boy is your *** fat its the story of my life, all people pokin fun ask me how much I weigh, do you way a ton want to tell them **** off, but they'd throw me on the mat not very agile, cause my *** is so **** fat Gomer Lepoet

22

Standing in this drawing room, eighteen foot ceilings, Battery Street windows look out on Fort Sumter still protecting Charleston's slave trade bay. No rockect's red glare tonight, but a musum cocktail party, awed by the riches that slave trading did generate, though the word "slave" never came up.

0

Mar 10, 2012

Mar 10, 2012 at 12:26 PM UTC

perig3e

The word never came up

Standing in this drawing room, eighteen foot ceilings, Battery Street windows look out on Fort Sumter still protecting Charleston's slave trade bay. No rockect's red glare tonight, but a musum cocktail party, awed by the riches that slave trading did generate, though the word "slave" never came up.

10

We are surrounded by the lifeless whether it's the corpses in red or the horde of feeding undead we don't see any niceness in all the ways we have bled so an idea pops in our head to leech the likeness of the zombies instead of what's righteous. A possum parades around in the trash it's called young and brash by those it evades through darkened paths that harken back to wild ways we should've passed. The possum pals with predators to avoid the hunters then those gun toting meddlers have the gall to wonder why they got themselves a runner when everything is a red alert then The Battle of Fort Sumter. We track the terrified critter and stone it a warning from a Kentucky poet: when society is at its lowest we'll pray for atonement not for original sin but being given a life to give instead we fight with shivs this how the lifeless live.

0

Mar 18, 2022

Mar 18, 2022 at 4:38 PM UTC

andrew-rueter

Lifeless

We are surrounded by the lifeless whether it's the corpses in red or the horde of feeding undead we don't see any niceness in all the ways we have bled so an idea pops in our head to leech the likeness of the zombies instead of what's righteous. A possum parades around in the trash it's called young and brash by those it evades through darkened paths that harken back to wild ways we should've passed. The possum pals with predators to avoid the hunters then those gun toting meddlers have the gall to wonder why they got themselves a runner when everything is a red alert then The Battle of Fort Sumter. We track the terrified critter and stone it a warning from a Kentucky poet: when society is at its lowest we'll pray for atonement not for original sin but being given a life to give instead we fight with shivs this how the lifeless live.

32

Wilmer McLean had seen war in the flesh; Near Bull Run he had purchased a farm. When rebellion broke out, Stonewall Jackson came up Causing Wilmer distress and alarm So McLean sold his farm, moved his kin far from harm; -kept them safe to the very last day. Until Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant chose his parlor for the end of the Fray. From Fort Sumter’s surrender to Appomattox Court House Through five Aprils, ****** war had held sway, It began in his back yard, ended up in his parlor From fate he could not get away.

0

Apr 12, 2015

Apr 12, 2015 at 7:35 PM UTC

john-f-mccullagh

Wilmer McLean

Wilmer McLean had seen war in the flesh; Near Bull Run he had purchased a farm. When rebellion broke out, Stonewall Jackson came up Causing Wilmer distress and alarm So McLean sold his farm, moved his kin far from harm; -kept them safe to the very last day. Until Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant chose his parlor for the end of the Fray. From Fort Sumter’s surrender to Appomattox Court House Through five Aprils, ****** war had held sway, It began in his back yard, ended up in his parlor From fate he could not get away.

12

"I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD." There's a storm brewing in the pit of my stomach There's a war knocking at my door But the thing is I never open the door for strangers and I don't know if I'm going to start today When I was young I loved the civil war In my closet sits my great great great great great grandfather's musket I read about Ironsides and cornfields matted down with the blood of hundreds of soldiers In my mind I would fix bayonets at little round top I would fill fort Sumter with hours of cannon fire I could see the mural of John Brown John Brown who I couldn't fully appreciate in my youth John Brown the wild man who knew that slavery was a sin that would be payed in blood There he stands between two armies and fires and tornadoes A book in one hand and a rifle in another And on the pages of the book simply printed is alpha and omega Beginning and end His story shall end where ours begins While John Brown's body may be lying in that grave they were only able to **** the man His truth is marching on in every struggle against oppression In every fight against people who have the audacity to think they can own another I don't think John Brown would ever be an anarchist But regardless he was in the business of setting people free Freedom is a word I still grapple with I struggle on nights like these to try and imagine what it truly means And maybe we are afraid of freedom and maybe we all die alone But if that's the truth you won't hear me preach it Because only truth I will fight for is well being for all Food clothing and housing for all All things for all people And we shouldn't settle for less And one day we will achieve it But for now The least we can do is be there for each other I myself, will always be a loser But that doesn't mean I'll never win So tonight I'll dream of Ironsides and cannon fire And I'll live my days standing up for a world that is made for the benefit of all Because the truth is out there marching on And with it we can build that perfect future "Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give"

0

May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017 at 12:54 AM UTC

daniel-robinson

For a More Perfect Future (inspired by The Monitor by Titus Andronicus)

"I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD." There's a storm brewing in the pit of my stomach There's a war knocking at my door But the thing is I never open the door for strangers and I don't know if I'm going to start today When I was young I loved the civil war In my closet sits my great great great great great grandfather's musket I read about Ironsides and cornfields matted down with the blood of hundreds of soldiers In my mind I would fix bayonets at little round top I would fill fort Sumter with hours of cannon fire I could see the mural of John Brown John Brown who I couldn't fully appreciate in my youth John Brown the wild man who knew that slavery was a sin that would be payed in blood There he stands between two armies and fires and tornadoes A book in one hand and a rifle in another And on the pages of the book simply printed is alpha and omega Beginning and end His story shall end where ours begins While John Brown's body may be lying in that grave they were only able to **** the man His truth is marching on in every struggle against oppression In every fight against people who have the audacity to think they can own another I don't think John Brown would ever be an anarchist But regardless he was in the business of setting people free Freedom is a word I still grapple with I struggle on nights like these to try and imagine what it truly means And maybe we are afraid of freedom and maybe we all die alone But if that's the truth you won't hear me preach it Because only truth I will fight for is well being for all Food clothing and housing for all All things for all people And we shouldn't settle for less And one day we will achieve it But for now The least we can do is be there for each other I myself, will always be a loser But that doesn't mean I'll never win So tonight I'll dream of Ironsides and cannon fire And I'll live my days standing up for a world that is made for the benefit of all Because the truth is out there marching on And with it we can build that perfect future "Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give"

41