April 8th - Rest in Peace

For Wes Frank

We would have kissed our last goodbye

twenty minutes before the fight

that battle-scarred a fledgling love

and dragged down thunder from the sky;

The devil would have sent a card by post,

admitting he was wrong for acting like a child,

putting his pride away for once, to God,

to say he misses his place in the heavenly host;

And wars would be fought with words instead

of guns, and prisoners would be the brunt

of bad slam-poetry readings. The only casualties

would be the meats sixty-thousand writers would be fed,

If the world were fair, and good.

Men would only need to lie

to their wives to cover up

the surprise birthday planning,

Watching joy go infiltrate her eye;

Everyone would have a job,

and none would have a qualm;

Taxes and benefits would be just

so as to disperse the angry mob;

You would rise this Easter Sunday

like the son of man, from the tomb,

or like the phoenix, burning bright,

from the ashes that were made,

If the world were fair, and good.