Aug

11

Learning (a poem)

Filed Under poetry 

for Nancy - happy 21st birthday

in pennsauken
firemen always comfort
a suited gentleman
blankly staring

once there were
no stares.

king george’s men
marched in red
ordered, purposed
to the battle
bleeding.

the heart moves
as it will.
this
all gentlemen know.

Comments

3 Responses to “Learning (a poem)”

  1. Joe Hagarty on August 12th, 2006 3:32 pm

    Thanks for the heads up. Nary a word passes from my lips on this. You can find me on blogger as well - 4 blogs here.

    thanks for the poems and works

  2. Ario on August 30th, 2008 5:09 am

    This excellent, punchy with a whiff of mystery. That last stanza is a particularly fitting finale.

    The only line I would rework is blankly staring, not only because a ‘blank stare’ as such is a received phrase, but also because - to my mind - exactly this is the phrase and image the poem hinges on. The more eye-catching the image therefore, the stronger the poem. But other than that, great stuff.

  3. ashok on August 31st, 2008 12:13 am

    Yeah, “blankly staring” is a bit weird - I’ll be back to the drawing board with this for sure. Thanks for the heads-up!

    In Pennsauken:

    http://911memorials.org/gallery/pennsauken/wtc_pennesauken_statues

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