The Banner on the Barricade

by TheIbis2010

This is Barricade Poem 2 out of 3. At this point of the rebellion, the barricades have arisen, and Paris is at war with itself. At some of the barricades, there is vicious fighting as the National Guard battles the revolutionaries. But at others, there is no fighting. There is simply quiet, and remembrance.

The Banner on the Barricade

"Vive La Republique!" Shouted a student.

"Vive Louis-Philippe!" Shouted a soldier.

There were bullets arming these words,

In a battle to change or to preserve the world.

France's heart was ill.

It had undergone a serious stroke, and was in danger of collapsing.

Every man, either attempting to hold or to capture was asking themselves,

"Can we save this dying creature? Is it even worth saving?"

And as all men saw the fallen upon the barricade, and heard the cries and the shots exchanged,

Many answered with a resounding:

"Yes."

But others were not concerned with the future.

In the quiet of the night, they found time to shelter

From the storm.

In the quiet of the night,

they found time to remember.

Through every glass drained by those few, those happy few,

The same message message rang:

"Drink with me, to the songs we once knew."

And so they drank, and so they sang,

And watching over them, like a mother shielding its babe,

Was the banner on the barricade.

A benevolent deity, it lay tranquil, for as long as it flew,

It could protect those happy few.

In the warm night, they could drink and sing, and say with glee:

"Here's to the life that used to be!

Here's to you, and here's to me!"

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Well, that was a bit more cheery than most of my other poems. Go on ahead and review, why don't you? :)