SCUM AT THE TOP

MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES
by John Bennett

A drummer with a broken heart. An off-key flute. A point man with a short attention span. The sniper's steady hand, his mind blank as he squeezes off the fatal round.

Grunts and jar heads biting dust. The pounding in the chest that can't be simulated. Poorly educated men of color from around the globe, gladiators for some corporate Nero, whores for some patriotic pimp.

A flag goes up. A flag comes down. A calendar flips over. The anaconda of alliance. Historic whitewash. What is it we remember with our cookouts and our fishing expeditions? Our tax-free Monday and our interstate collisions?

Step over here. Salute this flag. Then off you go to war.

John Bennett is an American poet residing in Washington State. Argonne House Press has just published his "Fire in the Hole," a book of "shards" similar to the above. Check out Bennett's Web site:Vagabond Press

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