May 21, 2024Poem

Oh! why do they like it so?

naturemusictimemortalitydrumming

Oh! why do they like it so?

The scarlet uniform

The drumming

The battle and the fray

The clash of steel

The crash of guns

When heard from far away

The scarlet of the uniforms

To keep the blood at bay

The way the soldiers shriek

And squeal

The way the dying pray

Oh why do they like it so

Until it comes their way

The scarlet and the drumming

The bodies in the clay

The way all baby soldiers die

Beneath a blood-red sky

In cruisers run aground

In torn red coats

And baseball caps

Strewn on grassy mounds

In rags and bones

And polished brass

With trumpets playing taps.

The scarlet and the drumming

The stirrup and the strap.

The way the homeless

Beg and scrape

And fight for every scrap

The scarlet and the drumming

The killing and the crap.