[Newspoetry] poem of sorts

[Anne Bargar]

Choir Takes Extended Break on Cool Sunny Morning


the headline screamed panic to the choir
	
	but
  		
		the choir had lost its panic button behind the stove
	where it was slowly covered up with dropped carrot peels

		while

the choir went outside to relax in the garden

		The choir

			munched an organic apple and shredded the paper
		with the panicking headline
				it picked up at the coffee shop
	and proceeded to weed and mulch the peas and squash,
			 redirecting encroaching snails elsewhere

		The relaxation was free, the apple was tasty

	(although both garden and organic produce had been considered
	political statements at one time, the overall uselessness of this
	approach had quickly become apparent)

		At the anti-war rally, cheerleaders jumped and yelled
	spectators and protesters alike experienced "fun" and
				"playfulness"

	Convictions, still intact, resisted the creeping dread of details
				not entirely new
	
	while listening to "As It Happens"		
		the cat knocked the panic button under the fridge
	    the headline settled in for a long summers rot

	on the CBC, you'll hear most of the facts, 
				and sometimes something that's funny.