Comment from Joanne Gill-Maddick

Exceptional

This is a beautifully written free verse poem it has a great flow and rhyme scheme. I like the repeated line Light the fires dear Cindy we'll be coming home to you. Good luck in the contest.

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so very much...I wrote this as a sort of sing song drinking tune...never sure of the exact rules...but lots of fun.....Godspeed to you and yours.....Stu Harrell

reply by Joanne Gill-Maddick on 27-Mar-2022

Your welcome. Ok yes I can see that now it?s an awesome song. 🙂

Comment from Anne Johnston

Excellent

Well chosen words to tell this sad story. Good news that some men were going home after the battle, but sad that one did not make it. Great rhyming and an easy poem to read.

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so very much......Good luck to you and yours....Stu Harrell

reply by Anne Johnston on 27-Mar-2022

You are very welcome

Comment from Juliette Chamberlain

Exceptional

So many lives lost in so many battles for lands which ultimately each man must leave behind -when will we ever learn?
Your poem is melodious and tells a haunting story of one episode in a world of seemingly endless wars. I love how 'dear Cindy' is not going to be left wanting.

(Enniskillen also known as Inniskilling Fusiliers)
At the time of the Waterloo battles Ireland was considered part of England's territory. Only later was the Irish Free State or Eire formed. Ultimately, six counties still remain part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Oddly enough Enniskillen is in the north so part of the UK.

Warmly,


Juliette

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so very much for your kind thoughts....as a tiny footnote...several of us gathered after the Vietnam War and pledged to live as those who were killed might have lived..not to be grumpy forever bitter veterans.... I was a foot soldier and in late Nov 1969...we lost one of our pilots...a truly laughing Cavalier from the Bronx......years later....as an old widower...I danced the Blackpool ballroom.....I was an average dancer, with a great partner, in the Pro-Am tournament days before the real pros.....I had trained for that as a tribute to that pilot and so many others....plus, for all of the girls in my life(from grumpy aunts to the girls of Bangkok) who tolerated my preposterous thundering on the great sweep of things. May God bless them and bless you as well......Thanks again....Stu Harrell

Comment from Paul McFarland

Excellent

This is a good one, Stu. Kind of a ballad feel to it. There's a lot of rhyme in there for free verse, which is fine by me. If you keep the rhyme and touch up the meter a bit, you will have a top notch poem.

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Dear Sir....Thanks so much...you are right... this has a little of a drinking song texture....so it may be off base for a free verse format..not sure I always get it HAHA....Thanks again and Godspeed to you and yours....Stu Harrell

Comment from Sandra Stoner-Mitchell

Excellent

What a lovely story in this poem, and so lyrical too. I can imagine Cindy's delight at having so many fathers love her child to honour their fallen comrade, is wonderful. Although this might be a fiction story, it is based on fact. Well done, a lovely poem to read. :)) Sandra

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so much....you are right....I just made this up...probably drank too much Kipling HAHA....Godspeed to you and yours....Stu Harrell

Comment from karenina

Excellent

Love this! It may well be the wee bit of Irish in me...but truly my eyes were brimming! Here's to the breadth of the Irish heart-- and the babes who never got to know their dads!

Karenina

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so much....I raised quite a few glasses for St. Paddy's Day....so here it is!....Best Wishes to you and yours...Stu Harrell

reply by karenina on 27-Mar-2022

I has me a Guinness or three myself!

Comment from Jane Jane King

Excellent

This is a very sweet and loving tribute to a very special person from some very special and loyal friends. The warmth and charm and and sincerity of this poem is beguiling. I felt as though I knew these people personally...and liked all of them very much. Wonderful writing!

 Comment Written 27-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so very much....these are fun to glue together ..with the help of a keyboard!....a sort of singsong tone....Godspeed to you and yours.....Stu Harrell

Comment from nomi338

Excellent

What a sweet and thrilling tribute to a bunch of fighting men with hearts of solid gold. I am sure that the family of the fallen warrior will be grateful until their dying day, of the way their loved one was honored by men who fought right by his side, and who were just as hurt and upset by the fact that he died.

 Comment Written 26-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so much...we lost friends in Vietnam and have tried to keep in touch with their families through these many years....Godspeed to you and yours......Stu Harrell

Comment from Wendy G

Excellent

I enjoyed this a lot with its ballad-like flow, and I also enjoyed the repeating refrain. I am not sure if it qualifies as Free Verse, as it seems too ordered and has too much rhyme, but it is an excellent and well written poem.
Wendy

 Comment Written 26-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so much...you are right...this may fall short for the free verse rules....not sure I completely get it....but these little sing song formats are fun to put together.....Godspeed to you and yours....Stu Harrell

Comment from jessizero

Excellent

This is a good piece of free verse. You did a great job with the prompt. I like the repetition. Thank you so much for sharing this here. Keep up the good work.

 Comment Written 26-Mar-2022

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reply by the author on 27-Mar-2022

Thanks so much...you are right ...this was written to be bouncy and repetitive...a sort of drinking ballad....Godspeed to you and yours....Stu Harrell