Love & War Poems

Blood…lots of blood

That’s what this war was about

Revenge and retribution

There was no love in this war

The revolution was upon the states

~

Darkness was taking the day away

Blood red lingered against the sunset

Gunfire checkered against the night

Cannons blasted thunder against the ground

The battle was so close to the house

~

Lines of red lingered at the trees

Fear skittered through me

Racing, my heart is pounding in my chest

They’re coming closer, traveling across the field

I feel the fear flood me

The enemy is coming to my doorstep

~

Quieting the house, dousing the candlelight

I run for the only weapon left

Raising the musket rifle into the air, I wait.

Footsteps echo against the old wooden floor

I grip the rifle ready to shoot

~

Wait, Abagail!

Like an angel in the depths of hell

Ethan’s voice rains down on me

You’re alive! I remark.

But the fear doesn’t subside

There’s a wall of red behind Ethan

~

These men saved my life, Ethan starts.

How could you bring the enemy into my house?

These men are not the enemy, he argues

Then he stubbles, the crutch giving out to his weight

I drop the musket against the bed

Rushing to his side and aid

They saved my life, Abagail.

~

I don’t know anything about medical care

I simply know how to be a wife

Taking Ethan’s weight onto my own

I stare at the man closest to him

Dark and brooding, handsome in a beautiful way

His face looks like a raven

But the shadows on his face are clean

~

And your friend, Ethan, his name.

Benjamin Wilkerson. He saved me.

Benjamin’s stare is unnerving, enticing.

Have your men eaten? I straighten my back.

No mam, his voice is deep, strong, and seductive.

Settled, Ethan is now in the dining room

~

Benjamin hails for Alec and Jamison

They’re merely boys in men’s clothing

But they bring the surprise of venison

They know how to butcher the animal, Benjamin speaks

I feel the warmth spread through me

How can I, a married woman, be attracted to the enemy?

~

Thank you for saving my husband.

Benjamin’s smile is intoxicating, nice

It was no problem to help a fallen man.

But your husband is hurt badly

The medics are gone, I fear

All men have been called off to war

~

We work to prepare the meal

Continuing our small talk

I fear these men

But I love Ethan.

The Captain isn’t married, a bachelor

Neither of us has children

And for the moment, I wonder about my mother and siblings

Will they survive this war?

Will any of us survive this war?