by: Bob Hicok
Historians will tell you my uncle
wouldn't have called it World War II
or the Great War plus One or Tombstone
over My Head. All of this language
came later. He and his buddies
knew it as get my ass outta here
or fucking trench foot and of course
sex please now. Petunias are an apology
for ignorance, my confidence
that saying high-density bombing
or chunks of brain in cold coffee
even suggests the athleticism
of his flinch or how casually
he picked the pieces out.
Geraniums symbolize the secrets
life kept from him, the wonder
of variable-speed drill and how
the sky would have changed had he lived
to shout it’s a girl. My hands
enter dirt easily, a premonition.
I sit back on my uncle’s stomach
exactly like I never did, he was
a picture to me, was my father
looking across a field at wheat
laying down to wind. For a while,
Tyrants’ War and War of World Freedom
and Anti-Nazi War skirmished
for linguistic domination. If
my uncle called it anything
but too many holes in too many bodies
no flower can say. I plant marigolds
because they came cheap and who knows
what the earth’s in the mood to eat.
_________________________
A lot is being said about patriotism today, since the owners in the NFL decided to force their players to stand for the national anthem or else be fined. This decision, and the reaction from the people in Washington, D. C., make me a little sick.
People just don't get it. Taking a knee during the national anthem is not disrespecting the brave men and women who have fought and died for the United States. What it is about is calling attention to the inherent racism that still exists in this country. (If you don't believe there is racism in the United States, try Googling ALL the verses of "The Star Spangled Banner." You may be a little surprised.) This protest is about trying to make America a better place for EVERYONE who lives here.
Don't worry. If I'm sitting next to you at an event this weekend, I will stand up and put my hand over my heart when the band plays the national anthem. That is my choice, not my duty.
The soldiers who fought and died did so in defense of the values of the United States. One of the greatest values of this country is freedom of expression. It is one of the core principles of a free society. Unfortunately, people seem to be forgetting that principle a lot these days.
Players in the NFL have the right to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. Just like Donald Trump had the right to avoid being drafted--FIVE TIMES--and he's President of the United States. I would argue that the players who take a knee are being more patriotic than Donald Trump has ever been. They really are trying to make America great.
Saint Marty is thankful tonight for the First Amendment. Read it while you still can.
