Composed May 4, 1970
(the day of the Kent State/Jackson State murders)
Already,
a glimpse revealing a weather change
impossible to sit in one place
long enough to question
Apparently,
few who situate themselves
between the road outside and inside war/peace boundaries
may never really understand
ONE LIFE LIVED
EQUALS
ONE HUMAN BLOOD
And,
here and now
as these precious lives climax and expire,
we survivors prepare for the choice:
to live on w/ wide-open eyes,
or retreat erecting granite walls
to decorate even more young graves in this endless rain
(here I go down, way down, digging out some more of myself)
Almost,
some close friend's gotta know
which hole to rise up from
which hole to forever sleep in,
gotta know
the broken piece of truth
left to share,
left to gather and harvest
Alt,
I could be five times this 21 years
and still must protest this war
…both sides stand face to face
loaded and ready,
as both generals meet on horseback
to discuss the ground rules…
moments later the two adversaries confidently ride away,
the two men wearing my clothes and my face-
suddenly
a whistle blows :
they are coming to arrest me for treason!
Paterson, NJ
5/4/70