The Eagles
Two regiments on the Schnee Eifel,
an isle in the enemy tide --
but every man had a rifle,
ammunition and a soldier's pride.
A chance for glorious action,
a break through the bristling sea,
for the tattered foot cavalry of Jackson
fo a Stuart, a Pickett, a Lee.
Two men with birds on their shoulders,
emblems of rank and might,
surrendered seven thousand soldiers,
Americans, still able to fight.
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The Mine Expert
I have my share of duties, some distasteful, some heartwarming;
of them all, disarming mines is the most non-habit-forming.
The Army tried to make it habitual with me;
they sent me to a mine school (Tullahoma, Tennessee);
they sent me to another near the stones on Salisbury Plain,
then packed me up to practice with the knowledge I had gained.
I knew the cunning devices, every single working part.
I gloried in the knowledge (disarming is an art).
The human mind is superior to insensate bits of steel,
but I never could suppress the qualms that I would feel.
Solicitous of my safety, the Army trained me well;
I learned my avocation, or I would not be here to tell
of a game that is so thrilling, played with hands that dare not shake,
about a sport that's so demanding, you're allowed not one mistake.
I have my share of duties, some distressing, some heartwarming;
of them all, disarming mines is the most non-habit-forming.
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