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In the eye of a war
fought in a wilderness of prairie and river,
murdered settlers, burned out villages,
buffalo and elk, eagle overhead
warning me
that my romantic view of a life
at the end of its century
where I wander, not quite an outcast,
but homeless
at bay in an endless grassland
is not what it seems.
I’ve lost my gun and my horse,
no one but me and my old dog.
Where do I go from here?
Posts: 695
Threads: 139
Joined: Jun 2015
Hello Tim-
Some re-arrangement and subtraction for No. 1. I see this as a lead-in to No.2. Up to you to fill in the blanks, or not, as you can simply disregard if you like. As you may have noticed, I'm really trying to encourage this series.
No one but me and my old dog...
A wilderness of prairie and river,
an endless grassland.
...
...
Mountains and hidden streams,
...
buffalo and elk, eagles overhead.
...
...
...where do we go from here?
You and your old dog go to No.2 in the series, or just you.
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Threads: 250
Joined: Nov 2015
(06-03-2022, 10:43 PM)TranquillityBase Wrote: It’s not World War II
more like the Plains Indian wars
fought in a wilderness of prairie and river,
mountains and hidden streams,
murdered settlers, burned out villages,
buffalo and elk, eagles overhead.
My romantic view of a life
at the end of its century
where I wander, not quite an outcast,
but homeless
at bay in an endless grassland.
I’ve lost my gun and my horse,
no one but me and my old dog.
Where do I go from here?
Plaintive and evocative - nice. Things noticed: first, it's a war (not WW2, but the one he's got). Second, it's the Indian Wars post-1840 or so - plains, but not forests (post-Tippecanoe). Third, and quite neat: "...a life.. at the end of its century" so the guy's (or the war's) almost a hundred years old. But significantly, the horse and gun are gone (immobile and defenseless) so - must be today, a person who's lost (or given up?) those things searching for companionship (or compliance?) As someone in Hollywood said, "If you want a friend, get a dog." He didn't say it in a nice way, though. (Or was it Washington, or Wall street?)
 Non-practicing atheist
Posts: 471
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Joined: Dec 2017
(06-03-2022, 10:43 PM)TranquillityBase Wrote: It’s not World War II
more like the Plains Indian wars
fought in a wilderness of prairie and river,
mountains and hidden streams, ….. these 2 lines don’t add much to the poem
murdered settlers, burned out villages, …. I like the contrast
buffalo and elk, eagles overhead. …. Vultures would perhaps be too cliche, but “eagles” makes it a list. A single eagle (why single?)? Something interesting?
My romantic view of a life … I’m missing the irony here. Is the long sentence here ending correctly?
at the end of its century
where I wander, not quite an outcast,
but homeless
at bay in an endless grassland.
I’ve lost my gun and my horse,
no one but me and my old dog.
Where do I go from here?
I like the idea of how even time travel doesn’t get you the happiness you’re after
Posts: 894
Threads: 176
Joined: Jan 2021
thanks duke mark and busker.
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