May 24, 2004
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From his wheelchair he arose a martyr; he walked away from the rockets' red glare while all round him arms and legs rained down. His flock passed his flag draped coffin hand-over-hand through the streets, while he watched from heaven, smiling. With Abraham, Moses and Mohammed he dutifully answers the call to prayer, bowing down to Allah's will. From where his blood once stained the ground nothing grows to cover up the crime that scholars will add to the Koran. Generations upon generations will know his death and whether peace prevails depends upon how their teachers retell his ascension. · · · · · ·
Poetry on Swans Gerard Donnelly Smith, a poet and musician, teaches creative writing, literature and composition at Clark College in Vancouver WA. CERRO de la ESTRELLA (Logan Elm Press, 1992) was chosen for The Governor's Award for the Arts in Ohio, 1992. Excerpts from THE AMERICAN CORPSE (10 poems) were published in Apex of the M in 1995. He is the current director of the Columbia Writers Series, an Honorary Board Member of The Mountain Writers Series, and co-advisor of the Native American Student Council at Clark College. He has also organized readings for Poets Against the War. Do you wish to share your opinion? We invite your comments. E-mail the Editor. Please include your full name, address and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Please, feel free to insert a link to this work on your Web site or to disseminate its URL on your favorite lists, quoting the first paragraph or providing a summary. However, please DO NOT steal, scavenge or repost this work on the Web without the expressed written authorization of Swans. This material is copyrighted, © Gerard Donnelly Smith 2004. All rights reserved. |
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Twisted Ascension - Poem by Gerard Donnelly Smith