The Song of Victory

a little ditty for Canada Day

Tecumseh stood in stately mien,

His gaze about the peaceful scene,

Awaiting Brock to bring his flock

At five o’clock in the morning.

 

Brock came and briefly ran a scan

Through ev’ry aspect of the plan,

Then on command they crossed the land

In song of victory:

 

Victory by victory!

We’re marching on to victory!

Fort Mackinac was victory!

(And Canada lives on!)

 

In step they gave the ground a shake,

Six hundred soldiers in their wake, 

And mustered might to face the fight

At six o’clock in the morning.

 

Their red coats glistened splendidly,

Their flag flew high and hopefully,

And through the air they sounded their

Triumphant melody:

 

Victory by victory!

We’re marching on to victory!

O Fort Detroit was victory!

(And Canada lives on!)

 

The cannon roared, the soldiers ran

Towards the unsecured redan

To meet the Yanks and break their flanks

At seven o’clock in the morning.

 

Amid the red, the black, the blue,

Brock twice was struck, Tecumseh too,

And as they died they firmly cried

That not a soldier flee-

 

Victory by victory!

We’re marching on to victory!

For Queenston Heights was victory!

(And Canada lives on!)

 

The soldiers dressed their wounds and sighed,

Relieved to have the odds defied,

And buried Brock beneath a rock

At eight o’clock in the morning.

 

And in the name of liberty,

They carried on the legacy

For which we sing through ev’rything

The hymn of history:

 

Victory by victory!

We’ll ever march to victory!

Each venture shall be victory!

(So Canada lives on!)

-EDP

Reviews

[barleygirl]

One thing I found fascinating about your storytelling is how you call out the various times, indicating this sequence of events happened in just a few short hours. Great way to show instead of tell. I feel ashamed of myself for not knowing ANYTHING about the liberation of Canada, but I get the impression from your poem that you gained liberty from the USA!??! Well, whatever the case, I came to your poem wanting to read about the patriotic love of one's country, since south of the border we've had a distinct lack of that, this week in particular! I wish our country were as unified as your poem makes Canada feel . . . not to mention your country being WAY more respectful & peaceful. (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[emipoemi]

Oh, you'd be surprised. We're not as riotous, but in Toronto and Vancouver there were pro-Trump protests the day of according to one Twitter trend that was overshadowed by the storming of the Capitol. We're also not too fond of our current Prime Minister (but we tolerate him because he's def no Trump).

It's ironic you mention the atrocity that was Wednesday's event, as this particular poem is actually not about the liberation of Canada (which is Confederation in 1867), this - albeit taking very minor liberties with the history of it because it's supposed to be a) absurd/a ditty and b) deliver a unifying message - this is talking about the war of 1812, when the US decided to attempt an invasion of Canada to expand their territories and whatnot.....and failed (and the Capitol Storm is being compared to when the British/Canadians stormed and burned DC in 1814 at the end of that war).

But I'm so glad you enjoyed the ditty/poem. It was so much fun to write. Thanks for reading

[barleygirl]

Thank you for taking the time to teach me plenty!

[emipoemi]

my pleasure