“Look sir! The line, the line in fog arrayed
Shivers and breaks as waves upon a beach!
The lads will flee, sir, ere the order falls.”
Turning then, as a lion turns, quiet
With power self-assured and nobly won,
The major took his steps toward the front,
Chin steady as a mountain braced against
Calamity. Then calling as he marched:
“Men of the West, rise now and join with me,
Since I am bound for that low hill alone,
And willing the while to march the way myself,
Would much prefer the company of those
Who’ve bled and fully drank my cup to dregs.
Share now my joy – to run with heart unburdened
By a tarnished past; to douse tyrannic
Flames that heat the hellish pride of our foe;
To say, when all is done, we crossed the land
No man may cross, not gripped by servile fear
But united in our charge, with one cry
Triumphant filling up our common lungs;
To feel full well brotherhood’s noblest end,
That we lay down our life here for our friend.”
So saying, with such force that ev’ry son
Heard true and thought the speech with tenderness
Was whispered in his ear, though shell and drum
And shot rang out ‘midst smoke and ghastly fog,
The major surged toward the twisted breach
And each lad’s heart, cleared now of dross, as gold
Fired in a common kiln, surged forth as one.
Todd Anderson (Stuff of the Rind, Sand and Sail, The Reluctant Prophet) writes the newsletter Mirth to share a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process as well as to offer readers the first fruits of his poetry and reflections. He grew up in the forests of small-town Ontario, contending against nature in all its beauty and harshness. His training as a literary scholar of Latin and English literature inflects his love of poignant turns of phrase, but it is the influence of his family and their myriad adventures together that infuses his story-telling and poetry with its substance and power. Todd lives and writes in Ottawa with his wife and six children. If you are interested in supporting Todd’s work, please follow the links below to donate or buy his books.
Todd Edward Anderson 