The Poet Spiel

Weighing In
  
Weigh a pint of the blood
        of the homo soldier 
                 splattered on his foe
also a hero
         dying for his cause
                  his country
what he believes is right.

Weigh the blood of the hero foe.
Weigh the blood of the homo hero.
Weigh the blood of every proud soldier
          downed by friendly fire
and the blood of every proud soldier
         who fired upon him.

Tell all their kids
         in pints, pounds, or buckets
                  the quantity of their loss.

Does a pint of the blood
          of the homo at war   
                    weigh less in a jar?
than a pint of blood
          sapped from his foe?
or a pint of the stuff
           from your average Joe?

Compare to a pint
           of dirt or sand,      
                      a pint of gold or a pint of lead.

Weigh a pint of the blood
                   of the homo soldier.

Phone his mother her son is dead.

 

The Poet Spiel, prev pub: First Class, Anthills, Lucid Moon, Strangeroad, Poets against war, League of Laboring Poets, Come here cowboy.