works by william pham, 2005-present

index | poetry | fiction

William Wordsworth was a Warrior Strong

What if William Wordsworth fought with flintlock pistol
At the Battle of Trafalgar?
He may have killed twenty-four Soviet soldiers
In the ruins of Kandahar,
And crossed swords with Genghis Khan deep in Badger Pass,
And again in Yanjing Province.

What if William Wordsworth fought with a bayonet
At bloody Dien Bien Phu?
He may have killed Napoleon with his bare hands
At the Battle of Waterloo,
And fired the arrow that pierced Achilles' heel,
And toppled mighty Hercules.

"Oh!  Who is he that hath his whole life long
Preserved, enlarged this freedom in himself!
For this alone is genuine Liberty."

William Wordsworth was a warrior strong.

copyright (c) 2006 by william pham