Rock-Solid Footing

[deckardcanine]

An urban legend has it that a statue of a horseman
Has a hoof-based code to indicate his fate:
If the horse has one leg raised, the man was injured in a battle;
If it’s rearing, then he died there. Get this straight:
Neither Britain nor America consistently applies this
To the statues of the soldiers in their wars.
For example, one of Longstreet has the left front hoof uplifted;
By the code, the horse would stand upon all fours.
As long as it’s a legend, I would like to add more details;
Whether fooling folks or not, it could be fun.
Let’s pretend that when a man meets one spectacular demise,
His horse has three hooves up and stands on only one.
And imagine if you will (but don’t ask how to make it happen)
That a statue strangely levitates in place.
It implies the man mid-battle simply left the world entirely,
Off to paradise or carried into space.