Is the poem, The Colonel, written in the present or past tense?

It might be argued that the poem, The Colonel, is set in the mind – or more specifically, the memory – of the speaker. The poem's first line reveals that what she will describe happened in the past. She says, "What you have heard is true" (1), indicating that at least enough time has gone by since the actual events to allow the story of it to have been spoken about and passed along. Additionally, the entire poem is written in the past tense, reinforcing the belief that the speaker is recounting a memory. This is further supported when she interrupts her own story to say, "There is no other way to say this" (18), as if she is struggling to deal with the memory of her terrible experience.