Classic and Contemporary Poetry
MILITARY MIND, by CHARLIE SMITH Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: I wanted to go to military school Last Line: Like a plowblade in her arms Subject(s): Military Education; Military Schools | ||||||||
I wanted to go to military school and march, I wanted to grow up and be composed and expert with a rifle, with tactics and fighting, to be safe and courageous among men in barracks and on the battlefield. I wanted to see my arms hairy and corded with muscle at the end of rolled up khaki sleeves. I wanted to flex my feet in boots and look down at the the dust of battles dimming the leather surfaces, the blood slick on the rim of the soles. I wanted the smell of gunpowder in my nostrils, the grime on my face, the washed-out hollow love for my comrades found in the foxholes, the sad understanding, the requiems of late afternoons walking away from the burial site with the widow as she cradled the triangulated flag like a plowblade in her arms. Copyright 2001 by The Modern Poetry Association. This poem appears in the April 2001 issue of Poetry Magazine. http://poetrymagazine.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SEPARATION by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO NATURE by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE A TERNARIE OF LITTLES, UPON A PIPKIN OF JELLIE by ROBERT HERRICK THE ENCHANTMENT by THOMAS OTWAY THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES: NEWS OF WAR by AESCHYLUS IMPROMPTU: TO FRANCES GARNET WOLSELEY by ALFRED AUSTIN |
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