Yonder Blue Light
The following poem is my feeble effort at honoring the men and the machine known as the Hunley. The Hunley represents the best of us in the worst of times. It personifies the gallantry of the human spirit and the willingness of men to lay down their lives for the cause in which they believed. Only once in the annals of history will there be a 4th Crew and it is only fitting that so many take up the torch and follow solemnly behind the caissons to the final resting place of 8 Confederate Americans. If God gives me the strength I shall be there as pride of country trickles down my face as I walk the long miles of history...
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While waiting for a blue light To permeate the fog, We wonder if they were alright Riding inside a log. It looked so odd and heavy A hand span above the sea A hastily built levee: Our hopes of being free. A flash! Yon ship is sinking! Yon blue light cuts through the mist! Its messages are blinking And then fades in the abyss. The mission is accomplished! Success is at our door! But something bad is amidst She rides the waves no more. Does anybody see her? Is the blue light turned black? Can anybody free her Eight sailors in her pack? Thirteen brave men were swallowed. Two times she's been reborn. Now eight more men doth follow. For them will we too mourn? Young Dixon's golden money: Life preserver in hand. His faded melancholy To see the last of land Ridgaway, Carlson, Miller Collins, Simkings, Becker, Aboard the silent killer At the bottom of the sector. The Hunley they have named her. She rides beneath the sea. But will man ever tame her And set her secrets free? Heroes all! They gave their all Following yon blue light. Duty called! The tempest falls: They rest in hallowed night. |