RAMROD ROWS
How similar they are, tall straight rows
of soldiers and corn that grow so fast
you can hear them in the night, must step
back quickly to keep from being hit by
the tears of joy that descend while
children become men as we watch
them sleeping.
Corn shoots climb like Jack on his beanstalk
to their certain end, tassels waving in the
wind like celebrities' handkerchiefs
under the noses of starstruck admirers,
hiding so much sweetness in their
budding kernels they begin a descent to
tasteless in the instant of picking,
stalks suddenly shorn and stacked in shocks
only if someone notices their loneliness
and binds them for company.
Young men
no more sophisticated than puppies grow
from baby to manhood long before experience
makes them mature, the methods of war instilled
as they stand ramrod, no tassels here,
only flags waving and feet marching
'hut, two, three, four," jab and pull,
aim and shoot, fall and die,
human stalks to turn brown,
dry up, and become fodder.
RAMROD ROWSHow similar they are, tall straight rowsof soldiers and corn that grow so fastyou can hear them in the night, must stepback quickly to keep from being hit bythe tears of joy that descend whilechildren become men as we watchthem sleeping. Corn shoots climb like Jack on his beanstalkto their certain end, tassels waving in thewind like celebrities' handkerchiefsunder the noses of starstruck admirers, hiding so much sweetness in theirbudding kernels they begin a descent totasteless in the instant of picking, stalks suddenly shorn and stacked in shocksonly if someone notices their lonelinessand binds them for company. Young menno more sophisticated than puppies growfrom baby to manhood long before experiencemakes them mature, the methods of war instilledas they stand ramrod, no tassels here, only flags waving and feet marching"hut, two, three, four," jab and pull, aim and shoot, fall and die, human stalks to turn brown, dry up, and become fodder.