National Reality
Greta Byrum
“Time makes more converts than reason.” -
Thomas Paine
[taxed]
and
it came to pass in those days
there
went out a decree
from
Caesar Augustus
all
the world should be taxed
who
has ears to hear let him hear
the
great stone face
verily i
wish that it could speak
voice like
unto a net cast into the sea
gathered
of every kind of being
parable
[authorized
to use force]
an
old prophesy should come to pass
the
voyager may have described
smoke curling
up shingle roofs gleam
purple
mountains wild blue
things
as they are
all
fiction can be used
true
in sense america
i
saw you you were in a tale
i
had read there were poets
ridding
iraq
this
is not a question of authority
it
is a question of will
involves
choice and everything man
does
he does in art
[gifts
of men and women to the pursuit of peace]
i
didn t know how i walked
but
i had a walk i said i don t know
they
all howled hole in the wall i
love
you envers de l histoire that is
the
future we choose free nation
balance
-829.1 billion
poets
and readers of poetry the
nonsense
our century has produced
would
demand ten life spans j ai
fermé les
yeux when you were through
with
those who could come by crutches
you
would take this little cart
canisters
of wet saline bandages
up
and down the ward
it was almost like a
surgical procedure
they
didn t anesthetize
the
boys and it was terribly painful
[what
reason would reject]
immense
naked courage
splendid lifespans what
hope is there
to
disprove point by point
military manpower
ill
will and a resentment
impels
to war the government
natural
course of things diffusing
how
far in the discharge
of
my official duties have i been
guided conscience
believed
myself
governed well
satisfied
our
country under all
[your
reward in heaven]
rejoice
and be
prophets
before you say
master
what good thing shall i do
why
callest thou me good
there
is none but one one job
the
judge and the judge
cast
in prison cups
the
mouths of two or three witnesses
verily say
unto you
the
servant is greater than his lord
[no
more will heal]
i
was a stranger and ye took me not in
ye
have the poor with you always
whiskey
pete blow manna anthrax coke thin air wild blue
yonder
cherry bombs battling clouds jap pop
shell
of shells flowerpots cherrybombs
time
rain tall mannequin a seated woman
crowded
with stars invisible show on
show hope
this finds you xx refuge
only
the poet refuge of false
luck her
boots plodding back and forth
to
the hangar if it weren t for the army uniforms
constant
noise of helicopters russian 747 like jets
the
eye sensing apparatus also impaired reflected
raw
understood it
is the case of hamlet
obviously on
the face
hero
missions and the body bags
a
few seconds later left
his
look stayed with me
[the
meteor of the war]
we
are currently using every means
at
our disposal in the air and in the water
military
spokesman william cauldwell
said captain
rashid violence
shattered four
civilians
and
friday a suspected shoebomber
targeting
a shiite imam who criticized terrorist
leader abu musab zarkawi blew himself up
inside the barata mosque during friday
prayers helpless offspring
many and anxious
thoughts revolved a
loss what to do above all things
the
overthrow of all my hopes this long dream
the
door ajar and i stood a moment
undone this
seems all but can be usefully said
all
that one does
america
considered a job
[some
future number]
white
picket fence grave grave copy industrious
wrote
on paling contentedly that is all
of
him except indeed one vague
report introducing
the scrivener standing as first appeared
it
is fit i make some mention of myself
my
business my chambers i do not speak it
the
girls work for the company with
sweeping
among other places the floor of
the
room where the shaft in a passageway ran
from
the floor to ceiling she was whirled
striking
the wall and machinery her apron
caught
and drawn around the shaft
the
letter had no date it began my own precious darling
you
asked if i miss you yes indeed
i
do miss your sweet smiling face
[payment
to be made]
if
thine eye be single thy whole body
shall
be full of light if therefore
the
light in thee be darkness
how
great that darkness
no
man can serve two
hate
the one and love the other
is
it not written my house shall be
called
of all nations the house
but
ye have made it a bank
verily
verily i say
in
secret nothing ashes
[moment
of clarification]
bright
lights bright writings meteors pretty sittingpretty
museum
of sex whitney modern folk holocaust african
american museum lonelymuseum of restraint no
fly
zone museum of
art skyscraper hotel bank america bank of america
horses foaming
at the mouth swallowed exploded charred
the
light of the body myth #1
guns
are only used for killing capital
and
it is now clear for all to see
that there are terrorist
elements
the
world must prevent it has the likely excuse
of
proving nothing so we ve urged restraint
suddenflash some
of these days you ll miss your
shadow
innercity skyscraper civil
human
sitting pretty inside the building
outside
howled for the world to give him a name
the
in dark answered with wind all you know i know
careening
astronauts and
[where
the rollers where wavelengths]
on
board of a ship or other
vessel such
enemy contraband
rigging
apparel bridge bridge and tunnel
you
are useless when the tides
swiftly
wreck staggering ships
useless
o grave o beautiful the land
i
have heard you are useless
the
wind sounds with this o plunder
lily
honey not more sweet than the salt
stretch
of your beach stay but terror
caught
a smell passes under us and sparks
unknot
the flesh sorrow splitting sexy
is
CEXC counterexplosive exploitation cell
a
secretive group at baghdad camp victory
useless when
he reached it
steadied
himself
[readying
the inmate]
katrina
tropical storm still causing plenty
trouble twisters clothesline grave
white
fence
picket five
members of the team
and
defendant parker will walk
30
to 45 seconds the warden will ask
any
last words a hood 2400 volts 7 seconds
600
volts for 17 greener grass green
grass
i wanted my new shirt belle sometimes you
belle
bursts into tears allright allright forget it belle
alcohol
can be used for rubbing indicates the drum
david only
a couple of doors left
jb hey
dave dave come here you won t regret it
grass nipper
s brandy and water
the
ghetto vice versa ghetto jefferson
included
this verse
[render
therefore]
disciples
said unto him lord teach us to pray
and
he said in heaven hallowed forgive
caesar he
saith by parables
said
judas if they do
these things what
shall i do
then
saying i have sinned and i ve betrayed
life
is more than meaning
and
body is more
and
the body is more than raiment
consider
[polish
it until it glows]
and
he said unto them yes say that i am
then
the high priest rent his clothes and said
prophesy gathering
clouds he answered
nothing no
flyzone no
promise
of preservation but
when
his proud parents named him jesse
the
late mr james became an unanticipated immortality
in
bold relief from the general dead level
nothing
this morning nothing at all
at
last the lady said
could
you use a typewriter fountain
points
of light flash out
forever
just exchange their messages
compose
the green line of eros and of dust
beleaguered
by the same negation and despair
affirming
may
i
[american
magic]
charred bits
of bloody
hell opens instantly
upon the green
line pretty people
disappear like smoke
friends
will arrive will disappear if you want
honey
baby i ll be tears in our eyes we drove off
into
the sunset looking for another place
to
put the garbage mess does not cling
a rolling
stone luck to all of you
j
p morgan had said
america
is good enough for me some senator
recommended
if he ever changes his mind
he
should give it back there was no way
to
measure the soul
of
a man like that
[landscape]
boots
on the ground army of one graves green
green
grass army of one army of one graves green grass
grass
green greener grass greener grass weeds weeds weeds
greener
grass army of one white picket fence white picket
white
picket fence weeds language that is also
destroyer
of battlefield illusions
the
age of high tension wires
white
picket fence language
hell
will said letting his head
fall
around
darling
[the
garden]
saying
woe because ye garnish
sepulchres when
ye see the south wind blow ye say
there
will be heat and it cometh to pass woe
who
have the uppermost seats
ye
are as graves which appear not
men
walk over them not aware of them
now
in the place where he was was a new sepulchre
there
laid then jesus they
rolled
a great stone to the door and departed
the
bridegroom went in with the marriage
and
the door was shut
[thin
air]
pilate
answered
what
i have written i have
thin
air and many women
pilate
gave them leave
by
night a mixture of myrrh
aloes took
the body
wound
in linen cloths
abundance
of shores
sandy
banks clumps of magnolia
the
party among them
counter
currents the pirogues fleet
along
the light breeze under sails of animal skins
alone
with
the
will of a party
[where
else can i]
being pushed
out of shape no
matter lost tipping
i
d just be curious to know if you
can
see yourself on the ruins literal ruins
just
another life of sin i have
paid started rolling
down obligation desert
rolling started
rolling lost tipping
point powers properly distributed
such
good government sayin i can t
mirror good on
my mind
curious
to know if you can
erosion
[lonesomeness]
sleep
alone tonight i know cause
tonight like
any other you
laugh so
easy hate
over
and over laugh so
easy easy laugh again
performance killing
an
arab there must be reverence
inseparable
from proper objects
city plains highway clover
leaf stranger
sunk
in a vast knowledge
filled
with old heroes
takes
guts to be gentle and kind i m not
afraid not
afraid to speak i m not alone
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