Newspoem.

16 November 2002

Hewlett-Packard Spearheads Disabled Group

I was taking a Flash class in a university
building called the Police Training Institute
during a break I ate lunch in the lobby where
an undergraduate was videotaping interviews
with various men studying to be police

She was asking them about their guns

How old are you

Twenty

Have you shot anybody

No

Would you use your gun to shoot another human being

Yes a gun is a tool

Do you believe in stricter gun control laws

No I believe guns don't kill people people kill people the 2nd amendment etcetera

Did you always want to be a policeman

No. I wanted to be a teacher. At my high school
in Chicago kids used to bring guns to school.
One day I just freaked out and decided
being a teacher was too dangerous.

And so he decided to become a policeman

Guns don't kill people people kill people
but guns kill the desire to
teach

...

Hitler wrote that the public would
fall more easily for a big lie than
a small lie

Clinton told a small lie

...

It amazes me that in this era of lightspeed networked telecommunications
technology able to facilitate communication, participation, even social dreaming
I stood in unenthusiastic line to punch dull holes in sorry paper ballot

...

Our side lost
and I'm complimenting it by considering
it our side

...

If you could kick a child and make gas prices go down a dollar a gallon?

What if nobody would see you kick the child?

What if you knew you would get away with it?

?

Two dollars?

It's a bad kid anyway. A rotten kid

...

Paul Wellstone

...

New forever war, in other words
and being given a chance to pretend you wanted it all along

The question war, the answer yes or
yes

and here's where you come in


Newspoetry at Spineless Books