After all these years,
\nfrom a book,
\nCharles and I
\nfound the town where Jack died.
\nWhere the iron monsters
\nof the panzer
\ndwelt in the woods.
\nWhere the roads intersected
\nmaking a cross,
\nand a general saw his death,
\nthe dying of youth.
\nCompany A advanced,
\nto rescue the line,
\nto rescue the centuries,
\nthe old houses,
\nthe hidden children.<\/p>\n
It was snowing,
\nwhite as the bay,
\nthe frozen ice,
\nand the black shadow of Prince,
\nthe dog that smiled,
\nthe setter who loved birds,
\ndarting like a phantom
\nas Jack watched.
\nHis youth a gold dawn,
\nhis cheeks the color of rose.<\/p>\n
An intersection,
\nin polar darkness,
\nGermans and Americans,
\nfamilies,
\ndreams,
\nfrozen feet,
\ncartridges,
\nthe hard silver of shells,
\nand Jack,
\nand the others,
\ncrawled along the road,
\nover the snow of the field,
\ninto the fusillade of the tanks.<\/p>\n
Laying their iron
\non the land,
\nshards of death,
\nand the boys died,
\nthe unborn died,
\nthe mothers and fathers died,
\nwhile brothers and sisters
\nslept in their cribs,
\nand in the cellars,
\nand the millennium came.<\/p>\n
The village lies in snow.
\nThe tanks are smelted,
\nthe graves disappeared.
\nThe intersection,
\nlike a cross,
\nendures.
\nThe general roams the fields,
\nand Jack plays ball with Prince.
\nThe bay is white,
\nand I,
\nand Charles,
\nlook at the map,
\nand weep in silence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After all these years, from a book, Charles and I found the town where Jack died. Where the iron monsters of the panzer dwelt in…<\/p>\n