John Fleming | + Follow Poet |
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The Last Master of War Ii

I who have dwelt long
 On the keeping of a vow,
That which is folded into 
  Steel --
And hammered and drawn --
The making and remaking --
Melded and beaten into one,     

Sat now pondering
 Upon all thus whence forged      
At the battles heightened 
  Pitch...
For where else do men
 Discover a truer kinship
Than when engaged in fierce 
  War?

Immersed in deep thought --
Mesmerised by glint and glare;
Drawn into the fractured glass               
 As a distracted man,
Ensconced at the bright 
  Hearths side,
Stares vacantly into flames.      

Images, memories;
A mind, pliable as water,
 Crowded with dead, long ago 
  Faces
Of those comrades slain...
For no promise ever made
 Was truly made unless kept.

My little craft stirs                  
 As rousing from idle dreams;
Shrill birdsong from woodland 
  Fringe,
Glib mallards laughing;
Incessant lap, lap, lapping,
Mist dissipates at lakes edge;

Prow swings slow about
 As if turned by unseen hands.
And out across the vastness,
This wide emptiness,             
Faraway voices calling...
Then gone like evening breeze.

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Rowena Velasco Date: 7/26/2025 11:46:00 PM This one really lingers, John. So reflective and quietly powerful—the imagery around memory and war is deeply moving. Beautifully written. Login to Reply John Fleming Date: 7/27/2025 5:59:00 AM I have not read this poem for a long time, Rowena. I am glad you commented on it...thank you for that. :) john P.s It is part of a long saga...but first I need to complete the 'Village On the Water.'. :) john

Panagiota Romios Date: 4/26/2021 8:33:00 AM Magnificent beyond words. All those reads? No comments? Unbelievable. Oh, forgot WAR will anger the anti war crowd here. People forgot Hitlers madness....not me. People died to stop him. Dying, losing appendages, is no fun. I see history is despised here. I imagine the military, too. FAVE...THIS Has all the markings of a POTD. Dweebish haikus,we fall over? Mine included. My nothing Poetry? Weather reports are poetry? Acrobatics of new poetic forms? Stunned by no comments. Totally. PANAGIOTA Login to Reply John Fleming Date: 4/28/2021 6:55:00 AM Thank you, Panagiota! I have to confess that I too was also surprised at the lack of comments...I thought, at the very least, someone would suggest that, by pure definition alone, it might not be a true Choka. Ah well! This week it would appear I have gone from zero to hero on the strength of just one poem alone. Lol. Much obliged, Panagiota -- cheers! :) john