"Napoleon's Exile on Saint Helena" by Franz Josef Sandmann‘Eyes Right’ by David Whippman The Society April 26, 2020 Beauty, Poetry 5 Comments They march in an imaginary parade, All of the dear ones I have ever known, Relatives, friends, impressively arrayed, Saluting them, I stand here all alone. This is no show of military might, Though in their different ways, they fought for me And should have been more precious in my sight. I was no good at generalship, you see. I drifted like some vague Napoleon, Taking their loyalty very much for granted. Is it too late to say this now you’re gone, But please don’t ever think you were unwanted. Partners, colleagues, friends and all the rest: It’s too late now for medals on the chest. David Whippman is a British poet, now retired after a career in healthcare. Over the years he’s had quite a few poems, articles and short stories published in various magazines. NOTE: The Society considers this page, where your poetry resides, to be your residence as well, where you may invite family, friends, and others to visit. Feel free to treat this page as your home and remove anyone here who disrespects you. Simply send an email to mbryant@classicalpoets.org. Put “Remove Comment” in the subject line and list which comments you would like removed. The Society does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or comments and reserves the right to remove any comments to maintain the decorum of this website and the integrity of the Society. Please see our Comments Policy here. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 5 Responses M. P. Lauretta April 26, 2020 A nice idea for a poem! However, I would subsitute ‘relations’ for ‘relatives’ to preserve the meter. Reply C.B. Anderson April 26, 2020 Good call, M.P. Reply Dave Whippman April 27, 2020 Fair point, MP. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant April 27, 2020 I too like the idea of an “imaginary parade”. I particularly like humble regret of second stanza. Oh, how I wish I could pin medals on the chest of the dearly departed. This lovely poem serves to remind us to tell all those we love just how much while there’s still time. Thank you for the poetic nudge, Mr. Whippman. Reply dave Whippman April 27, 2020 Thanks Susan, it’s always nice to get feedback. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
M. P. Lauretta April 26, 2020 A nice idea for a poem! However, I would subsitute ‘relations’ for ‘relatives’ to preserve the meter. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant April 27, 2020 I too like the idea of an “imaginary parade”. I particularly like humble regret of second stanza. Oh, how I wish I could pin medals on the chest of the dearly departed. This lovely poem serves to remind us to tell all those we love just how much while there’s still time. Thank you for the poetic nudge, Mr. Whippman. Reply
