Composed May 4, 1970

“ 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