POEMS
By:
Joyce Nunn Shumate, President
Elizabeth
Cain Musgrove Chapter, #1929
United
Daughters of the Confederacy
THE
VISION
I
awoke suddenly late one nigh,
By
a noise I couldn't quite place,
I
crept quietly down the hall,
And
peered down the dark staircase.
I
head the sounds of someone crying,
As
I descended the stairs with haste,
I
hurriedly flung open the parlor doors,
Unprepared
for what I faced.
There
in the parlor a young woman wept,
As
she bandaged a soldier's side,
Over
in the corner another man lay,
He
took one breath then died.
Someone
shouted "Help me here!"
And
I turned to follow the command,
There
on the table a young boy lay,
With
only a nub for a hand.
The
stench of death and dying was there,
I
felt so hopeless lost,
A
young woman stroked a soldier's brow,
As
he feverishly, fitfully tossed.
I
heard the sounds of cannon fire,
And
the wails of pain from men,
The
doors behind me flung open wide,
And
the wounded staggered in.
I
looked around and tried to grasp,
What
was happening here,
For
this was 1996,
For
my sanity I began to fear.
These
soldiers who lay bleeding and dying,
Upon
my parlor floor,
Were
dressed in the uniforms of gray,
That
the Confederate army wore.
An
old man beckoned to me from a cot,
His
head was bandaged and bleeding,
As
I knelt to hear his faint voice,
His
words were gently pleading.
"Look
around, my son, and see these men,
Not
just the death and dying,
But
look deep within their very souls,
And
see the underlying.
What
would cause a man to suffer so?
Son,
listen to what I say,
For
home, family, freedom and rights,
The
cause you'd fight today.
These
were truly brave soldiers, son,
Not
men filled with hate,
Men
defending their Southern land,
And
the Rights of State.
Look
around, my son, and take it all in,
The
pain, the suffering, the dying,
The
courage of each of these brave men,
To
keep our freedom flying."
My
eyes was wailing up with tears,
Blurring
this vision from sight,
As
the men began to softly sing,
"DIXIE"
with all their might.
Standing
proud I sang with them,
As
the tears flowed down my face,
Then
all I heard was my lone voice,
Echoing
through this place.
I
open my eyes and looked around,
Every
man and woman was gone,
I
stood in the early morning light,
Solemn
and alone.
I
fell to my knees and began to pray,
"God
please explain this to me!"
I
heard the old man call out again,
"Son
help the world to see."
Return To Main Page