"what came after the war"

"what came after the war"
a battled consideration by jake kilroy.

g0oodbye, crimson heroes
and beautiful banshees of the beach.
glorious shipwreck cove,
filled with gold and broken bones,
for merrier weather and a funeral at sea.

hello, patron saints
and coastlines of dead priests.
the last stand of any men here
will bleed the history books dark
and we'll all salute with mangled hands.

finally, cloudy weather,
marked as a spell of sunken spirits.
a parade of ghostly footprints,
slowly churning in the gray sand,
one mutilated cough after another.

onward, last of the grand,
with feet so tired they rattle.
slippery fingers over the gun,
soaked from tears, wet from heat,
with only a disease to follow home.