Shout!

He was dancing, through and through
To a rhythm no one knew
He was fighting in a war--
But did he really know what for?
He was young and he was weak
Yet he lived, or so to speak,
He was dancing as the bullets flew
He was laughing; perhaps he knew
For them two boys stood arm in arm
Safe, they thought, from bullets' harm
Watching as hope came
Along the water's tranquil lane
They were laughing; they were free--
For here came hope and rest and glee
But in a moment's untamed flash,
He fell dead, a silent crash
The other looked where hope was docking
The irony was sickly shocking
Yet this is any battle's price--
To grab a heart, to wrench and slice
And yet the outcome's worth it all
In the end the slaves did fall
So among the blood and broken hearts
Are half-sewn seams and brand new starts
Among the ashes is the cry--
Let me Live! Oh, let me FLY!
Among the bodies is the verse--
Slaves and chains bring on a curse
Where one side lives and both sides die--
Oh, THIS is freedom's shout and cry.

((This poem was inspired and written when I was in the 7th grade by a book I read in class. I have long since forgotten the book, but it was about the Civil War.))