The Willing Sacrifice of Elan Vital - a poem

The Willing Sacrifice of Elan Vital

by Alex Greene

Underdressed in court two
Hot like Athens in here
Scruffy man lost amid the suits
The accused stands charged

Gross vagrancy
Guilty on all counts
Send him to the cells
Bunk mates with Brymbo Man

This hothouse is just the side show
Action all downstairs
History on loan in Gallery 3
Hotter than Hell in here

And the focus of attention
Peering eyes, expectant hush
Curiosity and awe at real history
Two big chunky keys behind glass

When I lean close it's like a seashell
Put it to your ear, hear the sea
Put these to my ear, I hear them
Sir John Moore, Marshall Soult

Barked orders, commands, gunfire
The screams of the 23rd
Secure the perimeter! Stand your ground!
We'll hold them off, sir! We will hold!

Unseal the glass, unlock the time
Muskets, rifle, thunderous cannonades
And the screams. Men, horses, wounded and dying
That even the Gods must hear

The odours of the time
Sour, acrid, choking powder smoke in billows
Man and horse, flesh and faeces
Rot and decay, hot and humid

Echoes. Ghosts. Bound to metal
Locked into the key with a rifle barrel
Clamouring for a witness
Finding us looking in, here

All that sacrifice. All that blood
The willing sacrifice of elan vital
And words, drawn in the metal itself
Remember. Learn. Make all of this matter.