| every | mother's | son |
|---|---|---|
| She kissed the plastic star | She kissed the plastic box | |
| they gave her when | his father gave her before | |
| Her son came home from the war | He went back overseas | |
| in the cargo hold of the DC-10 | to a dental practice in D.C. | |
| And sat penitent | And sat impenitent | |
| on the long white bench | ||
| at the funeral home, | at the Relocation Bureau, | |
| Footsick and heartsore, | ||
| And watched as they | And watched the wall as they | |
| Draped a red-white-and-blue blanket | Bagged and dragged away | |
| Over the face they wouldn't | The face she couldn't | |
| Let her see. | Let herself see. | |
| And almost, but not quite, she | ||
| kept from crying. | cried. | |
©1987, 1997 Alan P. Scott. All rights reserved.
Last updated June 17, 2001.
Contact me:
ascott@pacifier.com