Dream of Summertime - A Poem

“Lay down and dream of summertime,

Of Georgia blossoms, memories,

And close your eyes to let sweet sleep

Draw you on the breeze…”

Thus I was told so long ago,

By mother true, with heart benign,

And, young, I did as I was told,

Not to see the signs.

But when I woke, alone was I -

And gone were all, and lands I knew,

And nothing lived to tell me how

Summer mine was through.

How many years did pass away, 

And I remembered, living on,

But war lasts more than just a day,

And suff’ring past the dawn.

Still I would dream of summertime,

Of Georgia blossoms, memories,

And wonder why I was alone,

A leaf upon the breeze.

One day she came, and took me, true,

With heart and face like peace of old,

And then my dreams of summertime

‘Spite wartime, sweetly lulled. 

Taken, we married, never feared

Of Yankee fire so far away,

And happy for it both were we,

Though war yet had the day.

But I told her of summertime,

Of Georgia blossoms, memories,

A dream that had to have defense -

A dream upon the breeze. 

And, with her leave, I left again,

To fight for what I knew so well,

And thinking to her, waiting there,

I saw through smoke, war fell.

One battle then, one wintertime,

Took all that it had left before, 

I did not see, nor hear the fire,

Nor know what was in store.

I never saw the North go down -

I never heard the victory,

But knowing mine, I asked that words

A comrade write for me.

I said, “Write her of summertime,

And what I gave, that it be free,

And never fall to flame and ash, That peaceful blow the breeze.”

And when ‘twas through, I sighed and laid

My weary head upon the ground,

And, praying only we could win,

Old words my mind found -

“Lay down and dream of summertime,

Of Georgia blossoms, memories…,”

And then I gave to let sweet sleep

Draw me on the breeze…

***