Monday, April 21, 2008

Poet/Soldier

The Washington Post says that Brian Turner's poem "Here, Bullet" (from his collection, Here, Bullet) is being passed from American soldier to American soldier in Iraq.

HERE, BULLET

If a body is what you want,
then here is bone and gristle and flesh.
Here is the clavicle-snapped wish,
the aorta's opened valves, the leap
thought makes at the synaptic gap.
Here is the adrenaline rush you crave,
that inexorable fight, that insane puncture
into heat and blood. And I dare you to finish
what you've started. Because here, Bullet,
here is where I complete the word you bring
hissing through the air, here is where I moan
the barrel's cold esophagus, triggering
my tongue's explosives for the rifling I have
inside of me, each twist of the round
spun deeper, because here, Bullet,
here is where the world ends, every time.

—Brian Turner

1 comment:

Mellow Monk said...

Hey Veronica, we missed you at the reunion. I couldn't find an email address for you, so I resorted to this comment feature. Arlene and I talked about a small gathering to mark the 25th year after leaving the womb of Westmoor. My address is pkotta at gmail dot com. Drop me a line when you get the chance!