Appomattox
Like Lee and Grant at Appomattox
Our meeting was cordial.
It was hard to tell
Who was Grant and who was Lee,
But it was agreed to leave weapons at the door.
It was not as I expected.
Formality scented the air.
Protocol dictated our moves
As we kept a cautious distance,
Circling the hidden subject,
Sensitive to the traps
That lined each side.
We spoke of trivialities,
The weather, the kids,
The latest political foolery,
Avoiding the raw nerve we shared.
It ended, unlike Lee and Grant,
With nothing resolved,
Like so many encounters before.
No ground given
Nor territory ceded.
The cause of union or succession
Unresolved.
An uncomfortable stalemate
And resolution left for another day.