Homewood Hymn by john clare

this poem reflects my thoughts upon my father who passed on this March. Homewood was his birthplace in Mississippi in 1924.

Does a new day bring light?
Has the light swallowed the dark?
Come day a squint into bright
The beams still painfully sharp.

On goes the gauze again
In streams the soothing dark
Not ready to walk in gleams
of light beams deadly sharp.

Many meant for the night
Few called to walk wide waking
Freed from the terrible fright
Always giving, never once taking.

In countless wards the halt
The little wars raging on
Light brigades assault for naught
the darkness ever so strong.

Allured to the prospect of sight
we wave the white flag and stare
into the binding beams of night
as captured we fall into the lair.

Hand on shoulder on shoulder on
the line of the lame snakes along
Til all glimmers are finally gone
No one remaining to recall home.

And in the darkened chapel quiet
Faint songs from opened hymns
a remnant chants into the night
Stokes the embers and remembers
Jim and all of them.