[untitled cantos—from a work in progress] I. Under Maine's Arabian sky the crescent and its star midwinter winter in America gripped by terror totalitarian zealots... ...in Penobscot under crescent moon windblown faces trudging snowy fields to pond to skate round and round conifers and bliss far from the front Bad dreams of war wake in sad music from radio of life, distant unreached sad my country sad the soldier far from love ruined by war ripe for life ripe for sadness ripe for love The luck bullet your name's not on the malaise that does not kill home luck to America midwinter where even Maine's pure sky speaks of Arabia of survivors walking Maine woods fighting madness for peace Caffe' espresso and Florida grapefruit lap top incoming two-line phone talking politics Susan's scones brittle sunny Sunday January sky minus twenty reading Ginsburg's life dharma dreams in the time of the Patriot Act America don't you ever tire of burning witches? Looking back at shedded lives thinking memories thinking redemption a new life twenty years to reach Arcadia seasoned for the wild only forsythia from ancient suburbia rhododendron bordered foundations weed free lawns genocide for dandelions foraged by Downeast farmers fresh greens or fried in fat back low on stores cash flow interruptus Seasoned for the wild at last the real the part about letting go the part about right thinking bachelor finds compatible wombmate sweet the living sweet the life how we do thrive America how fares the world? work they all for us? all kings fall from their hills America you will too why did I teach my kid to share in daycare when America is run by schmucks and hucksters who think sharing is for suckers? I see no minarets above the trees from my door yard far islamic Baghdad no one I know bows for prayer facing east I know pagans, Marxists one religious Jew Patrick who invented liberation theology in Brazil then defrocked himself in the New York postmodern the good Palestinian brilliant, secular Said did not bow east to pray the masses say prayers kneeling, bowing Muslim masses in America erect minarets I do not see kneel on magic rugs praise Allah.... dream America II. On the dog down Manhattan ninety blocks before another white face home coming lived home spirit home Uhls on Elizabeth Street cutting meat on Avenue A paler rainbow today ninety blocks of one-world technicolor Casbah costumes uptown New Yorkers moving down fast we're not talking Puerto Ricans here cuchifritos on 14h Street bistec at La Rampa Tomkins Square where McCoy Tyner played, cops beat the homeless, and Sam Jackson black men checkmate pirogi faced Ukranians who deal coke by the line after hours to pimps on E. 9th Street where sister Maggi tended bar Snow White defending the street and small business the whole world dreams America paved with gold by cluster bombs from global free trade teeth
Michael Uhl is a disabled Vietnam vet who became active in the anti-Vietnam War movement in 1969, and testified about U.S. war crimes in Vietnam. He is a charter member of Veterans For Peace (Chapter 001, Maine), and belongs to both the DAV and VFW as well. Michael servesw on the coordinating committee of the Bring Them Home Now! campaign.
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