J
jrhume
Guest
Tap o' the Drum
Drums roll an' thunder,
my troop forms in the yard.
Blood red dawn marches in -
in with the Corporal an' guard.
All stand fast at the tap o' the drum,
I march to the halter an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away.
I bayoneted the Captain!
I'll hang for that death without regret,
for I caught him with Sally 'o mine.
Half blind with rage, I stabbed the man twice,
an' killed her as she wept for the swine!
A steady tap o' the drum draws me on,
I march to the gallows an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away,
I bayoneted the Captain!
© JR Hume, February, 2002
This one was an attempt to write a poem in the style of Rudyard Kipling, whose military poetry is still well worth reading.
Drums roll an' thunder,
my troop forms in the yard.
Blood red dawn marches in -
in with the Corporal an' guard.
All stand fast at the tap o' the drum,
I march to the halter an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away.
I bayoneted the Captain!
I'll hang for that death without regret,
for I caught him with Sally 'o mine.
Half blind with rage, I stabbed the man twice,
an' killed her as she wept for the swine!
A steady tap o' the drum draws me on,
I march to the gallows an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away,
I bayoneted the Captain!
© JR Hume, February, 2002
This one was an attempt to write a poem in the style of Rudyard Kipling, whose military poetry is still well worth reading.