Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SOLDIERS OF MISFORTUNE, by ALICE CRANDALL THAL


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SOLDIERS OF MISFORTUNE, by                    
First Line: Why carry on?
Last Line: Hope springs again and yet again. We carry on.
Subject(s): Class Struggle; Labor & Laborers; Work; Workers


Why carry on?
What hope is there for the vast army
Of workers, bereft of work and wage,
Sullenly and steadily trudging on
And up the steep slope of desperation?
Overburdened backs bent low,
Downcast eyes raised, now and then,
With scant hope, trying to pierce the gloom
And bring to view the summit,
Bathed in the golden glory
Of the newly risen sun.

They carry on.
From far away come shouts of joy.
Some group has reached the top;
They hurry on with out-stretched hands,
As if to grasp the golden rays,
To hold them fast and warm themselves once more.
Their heavy burdens, stones about their necks,
Change, by magic, to silver bubbles, light as air;
Their backs lift up, their shoulders brace,
They face the sun again. One backward look,
They shed a tear and say a prayer for those below,
Who carry on.

Their shuffling footsteps sound like muffled drums
Across the land. Men, women, children,
All ages crowd together in the moving throng
That presses on toward promises of light and surety.
Here one falls down, crushed by terror, grief and desolation.
It is too much; his weakness can no longer
Life his feet above the stones. There another,
And another over yonder; but the mass moves on,
Pausing only to step aside with tearless eye and passive shrug,
Only hoping they may reach the goal
Before it is too late. Life is like that.
Hope springs again and yet again. We carry on.





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