Naked I stand before Him Stripped of common decency Debased, I kneel crying Sad words fall like rain Tanks are still rolling Over the Ukraine My Tanka’s are scrolling Down their bloody drains
Tanka #1. Sad Sky
False words smudge old clouds Gray clouds hang under sad sky The sad sky decries “Children are our butterflies And please stop the warring lies”
Tanka #2. Broken Biscuits
Life is imperfect Like broken war-time biscuits Re-connection waits Reconciliation stops Life’s sweet shortbread’s unopened
Tanka #3. Abandoned
May the stormy winds Calmly abate in Europe And bring peace quickly Do not forget the children We cannot abandon them
Epilogue
Cover me Give me beauty Inspire me Calm me Save me From that deadly bee Above the Black Sea
I had a good home but I left I had a good home but I left, right, left That big fucking bomb made me deaf, deaf A Humvee mechanic put his Kevlar on wrong I guarantee you’ll meet up with a suicide bomb Hell broke luce Hell broke luce
Big fucking ditches in the middle of the road You pay a hundred dollars just for fillin’ in the hole Listen to the general every goddamn word How many ways can you polish up a turd Left, right, left, left, right Left, right Hell broke luce Hell broke luce Hell broke luce
How is it that the only ones responsible for making this mess Got their sorry asses stapled to a goddamn desk Hell broke luce Hell broke luce Left, right, left
What did you do before the war? I was a chef, I was a chef What was your name? It was Geoff, Geoff I lost my buddy and I wept, wept I come down from the meth So I slept, slept I had a good home but I left, left Pantsed at the wind for a joke I pranced right in with the dope Glanced at her shin she said nope Left, right, left
Nimrod Bodfish have you any wool Get me another body bag the body bag’s full My face was scorched, scorched I miss my home I miss my porch, porch Left, right, left
Can I go home in March? March My stanch was a chin full of soap That rancid dinner with the pope Left, right, left
Kelly Presutto got his thumbs blown off Sergio’s developing a real bad cough Sergio’s developing a real bad cough Hell broke luce Hell broke luce Hell broke luce
Boom went his head away And boom went Valerie What the hell was it that the president said? Give him a beautiful parade instead Left, right, left
When I was over here I never got to vote I left my arm in my coat My mom she died and never wrote We sat by the fire and ate a goat Just before he died he had a toke Now I’m home and I’m blind And I’m broke What is next
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 