War lifts its iron head above the wall Of the blue sea. Quivering nostrils spout A lurid flame that levels each redout Of the defenders. Buildings burst and fall Apart. And underneath the debris sprawl The broken forms of those that were about Life's small pursuits when they perceived the shout, Too late, of comrades fleeing from the pall. Across the land, the fields extend in browns And mauves. Country highways pulse crazily In a shimmer of heat. Their dusty mains Are filled with frightened ones fleeing the towns. Huge shadows scythe them like a malady; Winged death glides low over China's plains. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONGS AND THE POET (FOR SARA TEASDALE) by LOUIS UNTERMEYER SONNET: 9 by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER by WALLACE RICE IDYLLS OF THE KING: TO THE QUEEN by ALFRED TENNYSON ODES: BOOK 2: ODE 8. AMORET by MARK AKENSIDE |