Poem: War Plea (And also a tribute to Kenny Cole)

 

War Plea

 

don’t bark at me with your

black tongues or spit your red. 

don’t carve my name

with bullets into marble.

i was only walking by,

a little angry to find your tank

in my garden,

a bit distressed at becoming a flea

under the fury of your gaze.

 

let me hop away.  i’ll eat

sand and drink stones. 

i’ll pretend my grandfather

didn’t plant fruit trees

near your craters. 

 

i’ll set up shop

in the smallest grave

of shadow, whittle

spoons with parched

old hands, and pray

in ways you’ll never notice

that the hearts of my children

remain sweet as pomegranates.

=================================

This poem was part of the greatest moment in my poetry career, when the incredible, nationally known artist Kenny Cole asked me to collaborate with him.  And so my poems, as part of his utterly unique vision, ended up in the Zillman Gallery of the University of Maine Museum of Art. 

The name of Mr. Cole's presentation is Parabellum.  The latest review of it appears in the September/October Edition 2024 of Art New England.  As you can see, Parabellum is still potent:

https://artnewengland.com/ed_review/kenny-cole-parabellum-prepare-for-war/  

Mr Cole is an absolute genius across multispatial mental and physical dimensions.  Art within art within art involving hidden secrets and stories.  (see the review above to get a slight idea)

Far and away, the greatest moment I ever received as a poet was due to Mr. Cole asking me to participate.  I have never properly thanked him.  In part, I am notorious for being a hermit; and, also, the whole 'adventure'--which is how I see it--was so stunningly different from the rest of my life that it was like being touched by some higher force of brilliant spirit.  There's no way I could express to Mr. Cole how he tattooed my life.  Maybe he'll find this comment someday, a sweet admirer of his, someone whose soul he forever galvanized.  Thank you, Kenny--but thank you most of all for your ceaseless efforts to combine aesthetics and ethics.  I believe this is essential for the highest, most sublime--and world-saving--artworks.