Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO, 1862-1922, by JOHN ORLEY ALLEN TATE


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BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO, 1862-1922, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: He shakes the dust from off his feet
Last Line: And skyscrapers tower in far new york.
Alternate Author Name(s): Tate, Allen
Subject(s): American Civil War; Murfreesboro, Battle Of (1862); U.s. - History


He shakes the dust from off his feet
And shambles down the dirty street -
The last man in the town, they said,
Who'd shot a hundred Yankees dead.

At every door he looks inside
Where pansies bloom and violets hide;
Some little boys offer him a cheer,
And only the town-dog seems to leer.

What does he seek with watery eyes?
A face or two, perhaps, or lies
That tell him Genevieve is there,
Behind the trellis, just as fair.

I cannot say he walks in vain,
Nor back of his leather-lips is pain -
Only no bottle yields its cork
And skyscrapers tower in far New York.





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