I was a cowboy in America Before crossing the pacific divide In feudal Japan I now ride I a samurai With an ancient blade of steel Protecting my home With pistol at my side I came seeking out fame And to escape an outlaws shame Under rising sun Prepared for final battle Standing in the field Confronting a new enemy Another battle soul brother Still faceless like all the others Recognition here Warriors in a battle For a way of life Even before I draw down Recognition sets in Both are has beens Between he and I Time passes as a river Ever on the same Who lives another day Versus the one that shatters For today it doesn’t matter A peace flows onward Even as self is destroyed Living forever I know that wars are won Even a victory that is perfect Will give birth to new conflict
Copyright © 2021 TJS Sherman All rights reserved.
You are quite a prolific and versatile poet today! Jesus, Buddha, Dionysus, rainbows, a samurai, and a cowboy. What or who did I miss? 😁 Great work!
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I’m chasing the prompts to help me flex my different writing muscles. Maybe if I catch another before bed, I’ll throw Snuffleupagus in there.
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😂😂
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I enjoyed reading this!
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Thank you! It was a pain to write between the two forms 😅
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You are a wonderful poet …. this was a joy to read.
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Thank you Helen!
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I love the form you have employed here, weaving two distinct voices to tell the story from both sides of the battle. I’m left wondering if there are any real winners…
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That’s why I let the cowboy finish it, because war goes on
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A glimpse of the possibilities of many lives and the theory of reincarnation. Evocative and well written.
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Thank you Beverly, I’m glad you were able to pick up on that theme.
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This is almost like being in a Kurosawa western movie… and that last stanza if you can ever win a war (except if you are a mercenary menace)
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That’s high flattery in that comparison. Thank you!
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A creative, very creative, response to the prompt. The fighting just goes on…
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As the song says, war, what is it good for?
Thank you for the kid words on the work itself!
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This is such a fantastic response to the prompt 😀
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Thank you, it pushed me to do something different and really think about how different voices would look in poetry.
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Excellent TJS, so well written!
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Thank you Rob!
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Nice poetry. Hope you can make a book of it
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