Tuesday 13 May 2014

To one who fell



To one who fell

why do they say he fell in the war
as if he'd tripped over his rifle 
or pack 

had gone to his knees 
in the mud 
and struggled back to his feet 

a moment
in the course of his work
when he fell 

for no reason 
other than 
weary

and weak 
and was raised again 
by some hands 

why do they say he fell in the war 
when they saw he was killed 
that he lies

in the mud
never to rise 



5 comments:

  1. I see what you mean. I'd never thought of it as a euphemism before.

    Wasn't it Mallarmé said that the purpose of poetry was "to purify the dialect of the tribe"? It seems that this is certainly what's going on here.

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