[Newspoetry] the drum

[Editor-Within-Chief]

the drum

wake up; silence
the drum
this is your boy
tell him not to beat it
wake up
you slept through the war
on sleeping pills;
while you slept
the T.V. played you sweet drums
impossible to wake you
while you slept
we had a child;
he learned to switch channels
with tiny hands curled around your finger
you paid for lessons, sticks, heads
wrote checks with your eyes closed
when the T.V. called him up
to serve in the war on television
he played for three days
in order to get ready to go
tell him not to beat it
wake up
I have to shout over the drum

[Amherst, MA 1993]


--
Joe Futrelle
editor-within-chief
http://www.newspoetry.com/