Please Don't Tell Aunt Martha

A Civil War poem

I did my best, oh mother dear, the cruel war to survive

knowin’ that you’d need your son, since papa up’t and died

I thought we’d run them Yankees back, right north into Missouri

it’d only take a week or two; no need was there for worry

Two thousand strong, we left Fort Smith, marching toward Cane Hill

and that is where we found Blunt’s men and blood began to spill

It wasn’t like I thought it’d be, I’m very sad to say

cause somethin' happens to your soul when murder has its way

Killin’ ain’t a natural thing that good folks ought to do

and that is why my finger froze when I seen cousin Hugh

I know he never saw my face, but just a suit of grey

so please don't tell Aunt Martha who put me in my grave

Author's Note

Inspired by the Battle of Cain Hill, fought on November 28, 1862 near Fayetteville, Arkansas. I can't confirm that he was present at the battle, but my great-grandfather, Richard Dickens, was assigned to one of the units.

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Civil War-an oxymoron...Family against family, tainting the earth with spillage of innocent blood...your dramatic and well-written poem so poignantly drives this home in the gentle, innocent words of a young boy and his tragic death by the hand of a cousin. Your great-grandfather (amazing picture) must have seen so much devastation. Excellent use of historical facts, colloquial language of the period, beautiful form, flow, cadence, imagery and rhyme. Took my breath away Sam. Kudos for this important and touching memorial.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you, Annette. I wish we could learn from our mistakes.

[Chloe..Across the Unive..]

All wars are horrible and as said, "Hell".. the Civil War... it is the worst we have fought in America .

The poem is wonderful and brings to light how cruel and also sad this war was.
Family fighting and killing family..
The title to this poem is as moving as the poem itself.
Please don't tell Aunt Martha.. this brings up thoughts of what she would think or feel if she were told.
I have read of the Battle of Cain Hill.

Wonderful poem that sheds light on the horrors of the Civil War and all wars.

Chloe

[An owl on the moon]

This is powerfully stirring.. Have seen some of battlegrounds and there is still a sense of pain in so many lost... You give us an emotional connection to something long ago that put family against family. Excellent write.

[holly]

This was a true time machine. Really well done. Thank you for posting it.

[SR Urie]

Sam,
Outstanding write, man. Extremely well put together and very good rythm. I especially admire the way the prose ended with a guy's love for his family in the midst of so contempt a situation as the Civil War; his first cousin but especially his Aunt Martha. Good job, my friend! BZ

This is a great piece, I love the language used it in.
The ending was a shock, but I absolutely adore the way you worded it.
Reminded me so much of Gone with the Wind though. (Only because, well I'm an Aussie so I am unfamiliar with American history so gone with the wind was instantly what I thought of)
Well done :)

[Inci]

great poem sir....it's so different as the son is speaking to his mother though he is no more and the ending is wonderfully written