Gun Poetry?

[Abominable No-Man]

Hello, THR,

This is a new one for me, don't know if anyone else has seen it. Found it browsing Jeff Cooper's Commentaries. I'm not a huge Jeff Cooper disciple, although I think he has a lot of very good points. I thought this was quite good, maybe a little hammy, but good.

OLYMPEION
(An Ode to the Rifle)

You hold in your hands the bow of Diana,
the spear of Achilles, the hammer of Thor.
Now you command both precision and distance.
To dominant power you've opened the door.

Your rifle embodies the gift of Hephaistos,
the grant of Olympus to hapless mankind.
Your rifle's a thing of both power and beauty.
It's proper employment ennobles the mind.

Bare-handed you live at the mercy of numbers,
but numbers can never match riflemen's skill.
Your rifle essentially makes you the master;
it creates and maintains humanities' will.

Vulcan has given you means to establish
divine domination o'er man, beast, and foe.
Your rifle's the sorcerous sceptre of power.
Direct it with wisdom and judgement bestow.

What do you all think? And has anyone run across any gun-oriented poetry before?

ANM

P.S. Anyone know who "Hephasistos" was supposed to be?

 

[jsalcedo]

http://www.thanasis.com/hepha.htm

HEPHAESTUS, THE SMITH GOD

But Hera without union with Zeus--for she was very angry and quarreled with her mate--bare famous Hephaestus, who is skilled in crafts more than all the sons of Heaven.
But Hera was very angry and quarreled with her mate. And because of this strife she bore without union with Zeus who holds the aegis a glorious son, Hephaestus, who excelled all the sons of Heaven in crafts.

Hesiod, Theogony



Hera gave birth to Hephaestus without intercourse with the other sex, but according to Homer he was one of her children by Zeus. Him Zeus cast out of heaven, because he came to the rescue of Hera in her bonds. For when Hercules had taken Troy and was at sea, Hera sent a storm after him; so Zeus hung her from Olympus. Hephaestus fell on Lemnos and was lamed of his legs, but Thetis saved him.

Apollodorus, Library and Epitome



Sing, clear-voiced Muse, of Hephaestus famed for inventions. With bright-eyed Athena he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world, --men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaestus the famed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round.

 

[SJ]

Siegfried Sassoon, The Kiss. He's a guy who's BTDT, it gives me chills...

 

[Keith]

Hmm, let me give it a try - what kind of gun rhymes with Nantucket?

Keith

 

[feedthehogs]

Edited by moderator. Feedthehogs, please check your e-mail.

 

[El Tejon]

Didn't we have a TFL poetry corner? I can't stand clove cigarettes but I still look sharp in a jaunty beret and have been known, on the occassion, to drink coffee.

 

[Labinnac]

Its no fun
to run
from a nun
with a gun

 

[4v50 Gary]

Labinnac - are you running with gun in hand from a nun or are you running from a nun who is armed with a gun (and whatcha do to make her go for a gun instead of the ruler?).

 

[Labinnac]

Some things just freak me out, nuns and clowns are two of them.

Clown doesn't rhyme with gun.

It's poetry so it can be interpreted as you wish.

 

[kalibear45]

Its no fun
to run
from a nun
with a gun

Okay, its my turn:

i met a man one day
at the local shooting range not far away
he told me he was into RKBA
he stood up and started blasting away
his target had very good grouping
i was curious as to what he was shooting
he had a smile on his lips
didn't know what to think
when i glanced at his grips
i realized, they were colored pink!

 

[Keith]

Glocks are black
Gubmints are blue
But either one
Can make a hole through you!

I think I'll go take a jasmine bubble bath now...

Keith

 

[BHPshooter]

Here's mine:

Thirteen in the mag and one in the pipe
is my sure prescription to sleep well at night.

Place the holster under my pillow,
close my eyes and dreams will flow.

When I wake in the morning I fondle my gun.
Who thought that waking could be so much fun?

Shower, get dressed; lookin' sharp as a whistle,
I lace up my belt and strap on my pistol.

----------

Okay, that's going nowhere.
Anyway, this is a fun thread!

Wes

 

[Crimper-D]

A slight 'amendment' to Vachel Lindsey's "Congo"

"BOOM! Boom! - Boomelay BOOM!"
My 1911 is the Finger Of DOOM !

*Gotta look that puppy up again, the rest of the stanzas were a hoot, but I'm Brainfarted for now. *

 

[Elmer Snerd]

Gun Haiku
More gun haiku

guns are just objects
it is the user's intent
that is good or bad

 

[BerettaNut92]

I was about to start a haiku thread but might as well do it here...


Clear to make ready
Understand the course of fire?
Ready and standby....

 

[ACP230]

Rudyard Kipling comes to mind.

"When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old b----.
She's a 'uman as you are,
Treat 'er as sich,
And she'll fight for the young British soldier."

and,

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up the remains,
Roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier."

The poem may be called "Advice For The Young British Soldier," or something similar.

 

[Brian Dale]

Autumn haiku:

Model Eleven
knows the bright morning cornfield...
pheasants call to me.

 

[Abominable No-Man]

Huh. Didn't think there's be this many responses.

All right, this isn't exactly poetry (oh, and sorry Keith, it doesn't rhyme with "Nantucket" , either ), but it's been around for a while and a bunch of you current and former military guys may remember something similar:

"Running through the jungle with my M-16,
I'm the mean mother wearing army green.
Black pajamas in the elephant grass
SAWs and sixties just ejecting brass.
Sight alignment, sight picture right between his eyes,
drop the hammer and another commie dies...."

ANM

 

[Brian Dale]

Didn't think there'd be this many responses.

With this crowd? I'm guessing that we ain't seen nothin' yet.

 

[Brian Dale]

First Match: twin haiku {edited subject line again}

"Ready on the Right!"
(Lake City M2 ball rocks!)
"Ready on the Left!" ...

(Sight picture, breathing)
"Ready on the Firing Line!"
(I watch my front sight ... )

 

[C.R.Sam]

The mind is the safety
Model twenty nine
All is right
Ding Hao

Sam

 

[grampster]

Raise and aim.
Hammer drops.
Justice comes full circle.

 

[rayra]

Abominable. I mean the poetry
You want gun poetry, I recommend reading pretty much anything by Kipling.

 

[Tamara]

ACP230,

Yup, it's "The Young British Soldier".

"When the 'arf-made recruity goes out to the East,
'E acts like a babe and he drinks like a beast,
And 'e wonders because 'e's frequently deceased
'Ere he's fit to serve as a soldier."

 

[C.R.Sam]

Rayra...
I KNEW that would flush Tam out.

Sam