Poetry - page 8
• Close-out at the Army/Navy Store -
Sherman Pearl
• Field of Play - Alan
Rodman
Close-out at the Army/Navy
Store
Imagine who’d you be in
one of these uniforms-
the sailor who won
WWII with that celebrated kiss
or a soldier
standing honor guard
on Memorial Day. Or
you’d parade down Main Street
in those
marine dress blues, bombarded
by confetti.
Plus we’ve got tons of memorabilia
in
the back room, a veritable museum--
helmets
with bullet holes, bayonets stained
by
genuine blood, boots that trampled our
enemies,
enemy ears preserved in
jars.
We’ve got medals of honor,
half-price today;
and swords that pointed the
way in wars
that were matters of honor,
settled by the blades
of gentlemen. And racks
of fatigues
all dry-cleaned and pressed, all
colors, all sizes.
Try one on, mister, and
you’ll trade
that suit for an outfit
that shows what you’re made of (epaulets thrown in
free).
Can’t you see yourself
camouflaged
in some remote jungle, sniping
away at the rebels?
Think how great
you’ll look for the ladies,
how
they’ll love the new
you.
-Sherman
Pearl
*************
Field
of Play
I count not virtue gained,
but brother lost
remembering the one who was
so dear
release of friends has weighed too
great a cost
but those are flown from me that
once were near
Today, alone, against the wind
I stand
and listen to faint murmurings of
hope:
familiar footfall in a promised
land-
his measured tread that broke into a
lope
"Sustain the time to find a way
within.
Man, lightly toss your weary blues
away!"
we seek a common god beneath the
skin
we’re headed for a different field
of play.
I wait for you and watch each day
roll on-
the earth consumes me now that you
are gone.
-Alan Rodman
Posted: Sat
- December
1, 2007 at 07:17 PM