"By Alfred E. Lord Neumann"

Half a league half a league
            Half a league onward
Into the alleys of Baghdad
            Rode the six hundred
“Forward the Late Brigade!
Charge for the guns,” Bush said:
            Into the alleys of Death
            Rode the six hundred.

“Forward the Late Brigade!”
Was there a troop dismay’d?
            Not tho’ the grunts knew
            Rumsfeld had blunder’d:
            Theirs not to make reply,
            Theirs not to reason why
                 Theirs but to do & die
            Into the alleys of Death
            Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them
     IEDs to left of them
     Rockets in front of them
            Volley’d & thunder’d
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
            Into the jaws of Death.
            Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their backsides bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Mooning the gunners there
Charging an army while
     CNN wonder’d:
Plunged in battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
            Sunni & Shiite
Reeled from the grisly sight,
            Shatter’d & blinded.
Then they rode back, but not
            Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Machine guns to left of them,
Land mines behind them
            Volley’d & thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
            While Hummer & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
            All that was left of them,
                 Left of six hundred.

            When can their story fade?
O the wild charge they made!
            All the world goggled,
Honor the charge they made!
            Honor the Late Brigade!
                 Wretched six hundred!

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