Smoke curls round the rebel flag
I stroke my old colonels head
resting gently against my heart
My colonel whispers
“war is twice as worse as hell”
I gently slide the soft old skin
of his eye lids down
so he does not have to stare
at the battlefield dawn
Rafael take us in your wings
and carry us away
I see myself looking down
on this death field
rotten egg stench of burnt flesh
I can see the souls rising up like leaves
caught in the draught of a fire
Rafael take me to the kitchen table
where my mother sits sewing in the evening
while my father talks of crops
or the price of everything
then finally the war
Taking the letter from his pocket
breaking the seal he starts to read
“we are sorry to inform you that”
My mothers tears are silent
Our cook runs to the slave cabins by the riverside
where she finds beautiful Beth with the growing belly
we made with love
Beautiful Beth
I feel my heart tremble
where the colonels head begins to grow cold
against me
Such love I know Rafael
such love is all there is
above this battlefield wreck of courage
pride
joy
and fear named war
no more than it is “twice as worse as hell”
Please take us in your wings Rafael
me and the colonel will fly away with you