Imagine that the green is red -
the village green is red!
Imagine that the soldiers fought
the battle, fought and shed
each precious drop of blood that turned
our village green to red.
The earth received the blood that bled
and overflowed - the green is red!
The village green is red!
Now run and tell the snow to come -
to layer over what's been done
and tell the grass blade infantry
to come with bayonets next spring.
Author notes
photo: http://www.davidshrigley.com/list_photographs.html
A contest entry
- Imagine The Green Is Red by polly filla.
700 points, ended December 9, 2008, 10 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Masterpieces Sketches (( For Poems That Have Not Won Medals )) by HereComesTheSun.
700 points, ended January 27, 38 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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Interesting rhyme and rhythm. That helped me to like this poem more and more. I did like this piece, and thought it an excellent write. Great job and good luck in my contest.
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overall i loved this poem
at first i wants sure if i would but as it continued its theme and writing style was amazing -
Wow, Loved this piece and how you turned green to red right before my very eyes. Excellent usage and fantastic write. Bravo!
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The imagery is superb from battle fought and death, real and political to natures whitewash and rebirth. Survival. Don't think I have truly expressed what I saw and felt, but I will reread. It is that good!
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"to layer over what's been done" Great line, great write
Good luck in the contest.
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what a great interpretation of the photo prompt! An excellent write.
Rory
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strong Marching Band rhythm throughout (yet I'm getting stuck with "next spring"..."bayonets"! sounds pretty final...ah, I see!)
good take on the prompt/ plus, I like how you called "the snow"
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I've often imagined similar sentiments while mowing the lawn. I love that one can't guess at who the "soldiers" are until the last line. Very whimsically done, this piece.
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Yes.
Your last stanza is just superb--the perfect image to resolve the red blood on the green. Good write.
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This is an excellent take on the prompt, but perhaps not where the Contest Holder might have wanted to go -- but who knows. What I got from the sign was something like: "C'est pipe n'est pas une pipe" -- but I'm probably wrong.
What you did here reminded me of when I wandered onto the Lexington Battlefield by accident when I was doing some consulting work outside of Boston. I found the green in late afternoon and stayed there until twilight, struck by the weight of that place. Lexington Green certainly turned red that day in April 1775.
The last part of your poem summoning the grass to return after the pall of white winter follows the red baptism was particularly good -- those blades of grass, like bayonets
rendering the battlefield green again.
This is a very strong poem and one of my very favorites of yours.
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Wow this is a great one. From Green to Red to White to Green again. The dual meaning of blade is perfect here.
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