FREEDOM'S BANQUET
Since freedom is a delicate thing,
It takes nurturing and defending.
It's a state of being and state of mind
Requiring detailed and devoted tending.
It thrives on human sacrifice
And swells like a river in flood --
A veritable psychic vampire
Nourished on martyr's blood.
Those denizens of darkened dungeons
And occupants of unmarked graves
Are the few sacrificed for the many:
Blood-price, as it saves ... and depraves.
Each of us knows altruism
Is mostly contra-survival;
And patriotism's a religion
That grows with each bloody revival.
The "much" that we owe our lamented dead
We forget in our daily existence,
While we grope for material possessions
On a level far more than subsistence.
Author notes
Many forget that soldiers are out there on the front lines defending their countries, and each of us individually as well. This is for those who have fallen in battle as well as for the concepts they died to defend.
Written December 19th, 2005
A contest entry
- PATRIOT OF THE FREE WORLD CONTEST - #75 - Regardless of how we might feel about leaders and politics by Roaddog Wolf.
600 points, ended May 10, 2008, 10 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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very interesting right. the price our soldiers pay for our freedom. the true patriots are dead or dying for us. loved the wording and the alliteration!
God Bless,
ZeInkslinger
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This line to me is most telling of the cost: "Blood-price, as it saves ... and depraves."
Thoughtful and well written poem.
Because of the high toll of war for all caught in it's wake, the need better be certain, and it better be nothing less than freedom.
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Exactly ...
and the President had better not be lying about why war is necessary. Bush and Cheney should both be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Wow. This is extremely powerful & incredibly full of imagery. So many people try to ignore what the soldiers are going through, but you let us know directly.
Thanks so much for sharing. -
Your closing lines says it all and what those who gave their lives for this country to be we are forgetting by not tending the state of mind and being with "detailed and devoted tending". Good write
Thanks for your entry and good luck in the contest.
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Good and powerful piece, good flow and rhyme, not my choice of metaphor or language but it worked well.
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I seen in your notes that this has another one that is a companion, would you mind if I use that one as well. it's alwasy good to have a blance. thanks krystal
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Thanks for the entery, even though it is a little dark for what I wanted it is in no way bad. I liked it alot! I think that poetry tends to be that way sometimes the truth is often negitive. but anyway, I did like it and I think that maybe a few of them will too. thanks again for your entery! many blessings- Krystal
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I really enjoyed reading this, have to say. Freedom is indeed a state of mind that involves a hefty battle against the self to realise. Thanks for the good read.
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Sadly, it's common here as well. I see lots of comments on poems here that have grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation problems and so on. I don't say anything any more for the exact reason you mentioned. How in the world did you find this poem? It's not in a contest right now, and it had to have been buried in my 200+ poems.
Thanks for the fine comment by the way.
Edited on May 24, 8:21 p.m. because 'typos'. -
a wonderful piece of poetry. war is sometimes a necesarry evil, if we did not fight then there would be those that would just come along and push us into the dirt. we take for granted our freedom, i suspect that most hardly ever think too much on the ones who died so we could enjoy it. your use of language is excellent here, and the rhythm of the piece smooth.
i was having a quick nosey in your author page, and i agree with that im about certain topics and poems considered quality not getting much looks. i recently left a site because i was getting so fed up seeing poems receive 30 plus comments that were full of spelling errors and bad grammar. no one bothered speaking up on these and if you did you get looked at as having an attitude problem. -
This poem was written as a companion piece to "Where Blow The Winds Of War" -- sort of the other side of the coin.
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