Table of
Contents
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LULLABY LADY
Lullaby lady
cools
her finely tuned
silence
& pulls it
over her body
Go almost dead one
dream of love
that white sheet
think of roofs
about to be touched
by snow
David Gershator
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AFTER LOSING
After losing all my teeth
will they come back as birds
after losing all my bones
will they come back as arrows
after losing all my languages
my tongue my wings
will they come back as black notes
for blind musicians
after losing all there is to lose
will the dark claim the wind
by the light of a dead candle
David Gershator__
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TAPS FOR THE MORTICIAN
for Brian D.
Hey, man, watcha doin’ in town?
Thought you’d be gone by now
Nope. No such luck!
Isn’t the war good enough?
You’ve got two to choose from
Hell, yes, two too many
So what’s keepin’ you?
Wife got pregnant
which means what it means
and to top it off
I’ve been laying kidney stones
like a chicken on speed
Ever have kidney stones? Don’t!
Worse than childbirth
It’s a full time job with these stones
in and out of VA hospitals
Thanks to the last war
kidneys trying to kill me
I’m sure the dead won’t miss
my everlovin’ touch
Besides, saving the dead
is not so important anymore
not when you have a kid
What else is new?
I signed on to a class action suit for vets
exposed to whatever,
whatever syndrome is out there
There’s no name for it
If I leave soon to join my buddies
my kid will collect death benefits.
David Gershator__
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MISSING THE WAR
for Brian D.
My friend the military mortician
says he’s going to re-enlist:
It’s the body count that does it
it really gets my blood going
the bodies out there need me
civilian life’s too damn slow
too few dying all at once
unless you get lucky
a crowded bus going over a cliff
a big terrorist attack
Once I re-up
sooner or later
some of my good buddies
are gonna need me
so they’re always nice
especially on the chow line
and I always keep my promise
to make ‘em look good
as good as I can
You know what I really like?
no bitching
no complaining
no grousing and grumbling
shit, man, they just follow orders
coffin after coffin off they go
taking their shipping orders with them
and to top it off
they get a big flag
but that’s not my department
I deal with bodies
lots of bodies
messed up stiffs
burnt to a crisp
blown apart
torn to pieces
damaged goods
stitched together and made up
for the flight back home
My wife thinks I’m nuts
but I miss the action
and she’s right.
David Gershator__
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