Gaines’s Mill
At the Hurrah for Georgia
I up and ran over the Field of Battle
towards a great rattling curtain of vines
upon which flashed the uncatchable
fruit of the Enemy
Pits and clumps of grass
shot pain to my knees
and I knew my shins were snapping
I reached up for to grab bars of air
with my shredded hands
so as to run with no knees
and how surprised I was to see
then my shirt and pants still clinging to me
but no leg in it
I thought moving
clinging without a leg
a Gun floating beside me keeping up
no hand upon it
one of the Colonel's new enfields
poking holes in the noise
through which I saw my breath going like frost
and then Come out of there
and leap over here
said the space behind the space where I was heading
Do not run but leap over
to these hills tan with sun
over to the Tan Hills
just before the sun toppled like a shell
And there was a Door
framed with huge black stones
and the Regiment were dusk silhouettes to the left and right
cause I could see a campfire crisp burning beyond it
and I thought Nossir
you just
won a Battle but don't
you go through that door
And I thought a friend had slapped me on the back
but it was just my stuff
my flesh and blood ketchin up with me
