Among the Red Guns

Carl Sandburg

1878 to 1967

Poem Image

After waking at dawn one morning when the wind sang low among dry leaves in an elm 

Among the red guns,
In the hearts of soldiers 
Running free blood 
In the long, long campaign 
Dreams go on 

Among the leather saddles,
In the heads of soldiers 
Heavy in the wracks and kills 
Of all straight fighting 
Dreams go on 

Among the hot muzzles,
In the hands of soldiers 
Brought from flesh-folds of women — 
Soft amid the blood and crying— 
In all your hearts and heads 
Among the guns and saddles and muzzles 

Dreams, 
Dreams go on,
Out of the dead on their backs, 
Broken and no use any more 
Dreams of the way and the end go on