Bloody Lane
I gaze in silence at the moon
in the distance, a haunting tune
but sometimes things aren’t what they seem
in this garden of broken dreams.
The music drowned out by thunder
clash of cavalry down under
echoes of battle cries and screams
in this garden of broken dreams.
They perished on Antietam fields
piled high in bloody lane, no shields
no tombstones for this dead regime
in this garden of broken dreams.
I gaze in silence at the moon
in this garden of broken dreams.
Colleen Keller Breuning © 2024
May 31, 2024
Hello, a quick Kyrielle sonnet this Friday evening. It’s been a short week due to Memorial Day holiday, but the workweek felt long.
The weekly writing challenge had me immediately thinking of our beloved Antietam Battlefield. I grew up in Washington County, Maryland and took frequent jaunts to the battlefield with my family when I was younger. My grandmother Ellen Christ Keller had a great uncle (I believe?) Benjamin Christ, who fought in the Battle of Antietam. It seems to me there was either a memorial or statue of him along one of the roads, I vividly recall driving down those old roads one hot summer day with Dad searching for it. I remember taking Katie there back in the 2000’s when we came up to Maryland for a summer visit, and she was quite fascinated by the stories of Antietam. Bloody Lane, Dunker Church, Lookout Tower and Burnside Bridge were always my favorites. So much history and stark tragedy, so many lives lost there in the deadliest battle of the Civil War. It is said that Antietam is haunted, often smelling of smoke and gunpowder at random times.
Since moving back to Virginia, Dan and I have visited both Antietam and Gettysburg Battlefields, two of the most famous battlefields in Civil War history. It literally sends chills down your spine, walking the grounds and imagining the horrors of what transpired all those years ago. Over twenty two thousand perished at Antietam, many on Bloody Lane. It was considered the deadliest battle in American history. It’s really cool that we are enjoying exploring the historic side of things at this point in our lives. We’re hoping to make some short trips to some other spots in the coming years.
We’re going to a graduation party for my niece tomorrow, so it will be fun getting together with family. And it’s supposed to be a beautiful day for a change, on the weekend. I’ll take it! Have a lovely weekend, all!
Xoxo,
Colleen
Inspiration: “1812 Overture” by Tchaikovsky
I know this is a different war than the Civil War, but my Dad used
to play this a lot for us growing up – incredible memories.
Ecrits Blogophilia Week 48.15 – Garden of Broken Dreams
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a Civil War battlefield (Antietam)
Easy Bonus: Mention a tombstone
Colleen Keller Breuning 