BEATNIK: A Poetry Collection

not a tale about war

before going

to war he was

a shopkeeper.

he stole bolts

when he was five

from the hardware

clerk and ran with

a gang who called

themselves infant

rogue midgets.

that was

before

the war.

he played with tops and

flipped baseball cards

off steps, all while his

father worked as a janitor

in the local school.

that was

before

the war.

he bought a car young

and took to working

young too, racing a

kart and ditching math

class to find his niche.

that was

before

the war.

he became a navy man,

won and angels heart,

worked on an airline,

and sat in as security

for two of the greatest

stoners to ever pick up

an electric guitar and

drums.

but that was

all after

the war.