GUNS,
Long, steel guns,
Pointed from the war ships
In the name of the war god.
Straight, shining, polished guns,
Clambered over with jackies in white blouses,
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth,
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties.

Shovels,
Broad, iron shovels,
Scooping out oblong vaults,
Loosening turf and leveling sod.

I ask you
To witness–
The shovel is brother to the gun.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Carl Sandburg's poem Iron

5 Comments

  1. Sarah Murphy says:

    this poem is really good 😀

  2. Sarah Murphy says:

    this poem is really good 😀

  3. Packman89 says:

    i, indeed am a great Sandburg fan. i love all of his works, including Grass. This poem reveals a relationship between the killer and the cleaner.

  4. Jacob Williams says:

    This poem is really good.It tells how the soldiers go out and fight the war with guns and the shoveles dig a grave for the soldiers that died.

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