Classic Poem

hitler's children make pastel sketches in air-cooled rooms in northern Europe.
pastoral watercolors in California delicate as the knees of deer.

the children witness.
casualty figures agitate the faces of rapid-fire Teletype printers.
anything goes mercy me.
paper cups are piling up in plastic bags in waste baskets.

the wax reflects computers' flirting lights the red the green.

another reichsmarschall heavy with decorations is checking out of an asylum in Sweden today with a clean bill of health of all things.
& a man lays down his life.
he lays it down it is like dropping a name earthward another ace's name down.

they took down that honor roll billboard that said lest we forget.

& now rows rows long rows of offspring.
rows of new holes echoing the commanded blanks.
volley echo volley echo volley echo O well well well.

but so what what the hell.
I mean look.
the leopard shark is a cannibal even before it leaves the uterus.