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H. R. Hays and Trump Nation
When I read this morning that Donald Trump’s “pep rally” tonight in Mobile, Alabama is being moved to the 43,000-seat Ladd-Peebles because 35,000 tickets to the event have been distributed, this poem by H. R. Hays came to mind. It first appeared in 1969, I believe, in George Hitchcock’s Kayak magazine. THE OLD WOMAN Who sits in her yard Every day Beside a flag Tied to a stick Is trying to Nail down America. She is afraid It will take off From under her feet, Piloted by long-haired Chinese astronauts.Read More
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An Old God and a Demon
Today Bob Arnold posted this wonderful poem by Bertolt Brecht. It reminded me of two others of his that I happen to love, drawn from Bertolt Brecht: Poems, 1913-1956: The God of War I saw the old god of war stand in a bog between chasm and rockface. He smelled of free beer and carbolic and showed his testicles to adolescents, for he had been rejuvenated by several professors. In a hoarse wolfish voice he declared his love for everything young.Read More