War Memorials Edit 3 (Billy, Milo, and Tectack)

[Brownlie]

3rd Edited Version: Not happy with the last line

Go Visit stately shrines to battle, you
can find embalming bodies bleaching dry.
In plaster casts of marble, dying cries
are mute. In placid pools no ripples rue
for breezing eddies calmly ring untrue.
In stone sepulchers, crafted bodies lie.
as drying husks these bled corpses belie
the tragic tales of blood that Bled too soon.

Cement and concrete encase us in war
The oracles are burning laurel leaves
Inhaling poison smoke and men believe
In rousing fiddle tunes of troubadours.
Forgetting fleshy skin men join the corps
To follow marshal tunes of crafted lore.


1st Edited Version:

Go Visit our shrines to battle, so you
can find embalming bodies bleaching dry.
In plaster casts of marble dying cries
are mute. In placid pools of absent rue
the utter sounds of tragedy ring untrue.
In stone sepulchers, crafted bodies lie.
Displayed as husks these frozen bodies dry
the dying men of blood that Bled for you.

So we erected shrines to gods of war.
So we can build our young men brave. So they
can march to mummy tunes erected brave
and if they are not statuesque as myths
the young who dare not fight become with war
enamored. Wishing they were stony myths.



Original:

If you visit our shrines to warriors you
will find embalmed bodies bleached dry.
In plaster casts of marble dying cries
are muted. In placid pools no one rues
the utter sounds of tragedy ringing true.
In holy sepulchers false bodies lie.
Displayed corpses with frozen bodies dry
the dead men of their blood. Bled for you?

So we have erected shrines to our war gods.
So we can build our young men heroes. So they
can march to mummified tunes and be brave.
and if they are not brave let myths torture
the young who do not fight. Let them all crave
Glory won from slaughter. We create soldiers.