Nick Flynn
Children under, say, ten, shouldn't knowthat the universe is ever-expanding,
inexorably pushing into the vacuum, galaxies
swallowed by galaxies, whole
solar systems collapsing, all of it
acted out in silence. At ten we are still learning
the rules of cartoon animation,
that if a man draws a door on a rock
only he can pass through it.
Anyone else who tries
will crash into the rock. Ten-year-olds
should stick with burning houses, car wrecks,
ships going down -- earthbound, tangible
disasters, arenas
where they can be heroes. You can run
back into a burning house, sinking ships
have lifeboats, the trucks will come
with their ladders, if you jump
you will be saved. A child
places her hand on the roof of a schoolbus,
& drives across a city of sand. She knows
the exact spot it will skid, at which point
the bridge will give, who will swim to safety
& who will be pulled under by sharks. She will learn
that if a man runs off the edge of a cliff
he will not fall
until he notices his mistake.
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About the poem: I like poetry that looks at topics that are less-than-traditional for poems. No flowers, grecian urns, summer days, or death in this 0ne -- just a love of the kind of world that can be created in a child's mind and using pen and ink on film. Nick Flynn, the poet, writes poetry and memoirs including "The Ticking Is The Bomb." Click here to go to his website.
About the hot actress: She's not an actress at all; she's Melissa Gates, who I chose today because I heard this week that she and Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett, billionaires, were urging other billionaires to give away the bulk of their wealth. Which means they now agree with what I've been saying for a long time.
2 comments:
They're using their money to sterilize women in third world countries. Vile people!
Wait -- is that true?
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