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The Battle of Fort Bragg (Free verse) by Dovina

I used to stand on grassy bluff of Fort Bragg’s ragged coast, observing the battlefield below— angry water versus steadfast land. Being young and full of motion, I sided with the sea. Attack was always quenched back then by strength of solid rock. Still I cheered the young and angry sea, and still it pounded. After many battles passed, some broken rocks, a lot of motion, I came again to grassy bluff, and looked from different view. Now memory moved, met solid desire, armies under different flags. Where before the rock was winning, the sea was breaking through. Gentle rolls still swelled in shallows near the shore, then toppled hard against the cliff. Resistance waned in longer view, Some rocks had slid away. Memory kept rolling in, breaking stone, dissolving need, taking it off in painful bits to spread beneath the sea.

Dovina 6-Apr-06/11:07 AM
Thanks for the good critique. “Versus” is right in Stanza 1 of angry verses – blush.

In Stanza 2, “how it was” refers to the old solid cliff, standing obstinately against young belligerent motion of the sea. But I see your point, and have changed it in the edit. I think the new wording also shows that the rock was winning.

In Stanza 4, I’ve changed, “Now memory moved, met solid desire / the ocean going at it still.” to “Now memory moved, met solid desire / armies under different flags.” I think that improves the precision of the changing image as the narrator ages.

In Stanza 6, “greed” refers back to “solid desire,” which is a mild form of greed perhaps. The idea is that memory was winning over the strong desires of younger times. I have changed “greed” to “need,” to make it less jarring. Also, I’ve changed “little bits” to painful bits” – stronger, I think.




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