Draft in the author’s style. This poem was written for Poet in the Battlefield to sit beside the author’s own readings, and is waiting for the author’s review. The commentary is a working draft too.
The general stood at the map table with his hand upon his chin,
While the captains shouted counsel and the cannon hummed within.
He did not raise his voice at all, he did not move his hand,
He listened to the wind outside and to the shifting sand.
For wisdom is a silence that the noisy cannot hear,
And courage is a patient thought that conquers doubt and fear.
At last he pointed to a pass where no one thought to go,
And the silence turned to victory as the dawn began to glow.
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Commentary
Not every hero of a battle shouts. This eight-line epic gives the general a quiet moment at the map table and shows that thoughtful stillness can be the strongest tactic.
The general stood “at the map table with his hand upon his chin” while the captains shout and “the cannon hummed within.” He does not “raise his voice at all” and instead “listened to the wind outside and to the shifting sand.”
The poem states its idea plainly: “wisdom is a silence that the noisy cannot hear.” At last the general points “to a pass where no one thought to go,” and “the silence turned to victory.”