Behind The Lines
By murray
- 608 reads
Behind The Lines.
By Oliver Murray.
The stanzas should lock together sweet as a gun
our poetry instructor says.
It drives him nuts when the women
screw up the naming of parts
or write up their thoughts about men
who don't send them flowers any more.
" Weight, heft and balance-point," he says
"The bolt, the breech, the cocking piece.
the clickety-click bit here.
Nicely spring-loaded, snapped together and,
important from an instructor's point of view,
comes neatly apart for inspection."
"Like the Heckler and Koch," he says
"Nice piece of dactyl there,
make sure it snaps in snug.
And the Browning, lovely old machine.
Heavy recoil, needs careful assembly, could
get enjambment if she overheats."
"Leave a loose metaphor lying around
when you think it's all assembled,
and you're a dead poet walking."
"But what about the girls?" I ask,
"Can your analogy encompass all concerns?
Lost love? The breadmaking poems?"
"Listen, Laddie," he says, "though some of them wear boots
and some of them think they're tough,
they're not. They'll be out of harm's way,
well behind the lines
when the balloon goes up
and the REAL Poetry starts!"
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