Speaking in Tongues

[rowens]

Yesterday, I fought the first two days
                          of Gettysburg,
I was the Union General Meade,
thrusting the tiny pixeled brigades
                        into the hornet-like Confederates.
Today, the dismal end: Pickett’s suicide charge.
"No 15,000 men ever born
                    can take that position"--Longstreet to Lee
( I did win once, when I was playing
                          God is a Confederate.)

It’s the only video game I own,
I’ve played it 400 hours.        Ideleted hat!!!!!!!!!!

I was six years old
at the beginning of  the Centennial of the Civil War,
and I received
                  a 5 lb. picture history
(as an endearment
something rare for him
                              my father called me Captain,
because when looking at a sinking ship
he told that the Captain always went down too
and I said I’d prefer not to.)

“I’d prefer not to” has been writ across my face
                          ever since,
I’m a highly functional Bartleby.




All that prosy stuff has to go