Jerry Hicks

How long war -- who?



Fracture!
My mother, 20, own house,
she leaves a perfectly strong man,
100 miles drives
to Hawthorne place of great-grandmother
deposits me in dirty diapers, like a bad check.
She on to become worldly educated.

Terrified of stern, three, missing my dad, never
smiling grandmother no matter what grow
eat, poop, lie, listen talk, the
radio, you fight, cry, learn to shoot
a sling-shot, bird names, little sad songs, fly
kites. Some direction. School. Sticks. Steps.

Saw dad, mom occasionally, mysterious tide
flow on varient schedules different
goals and means. He found one day hill overlooking
Burbank airport, said, "Be strong."
He great war leaving to go far oceans. Nations needed
us. Fracture!

I, 5 cried and continued cried life mostly, cry
fills eyes black blobs dizzies me every life day. Tears throb
like seasons random crazy.

Unloved growing burden on who cares me feel some
evil child deserving nothing. God punishes crimes
I ignorance commit.

Do all wars forever? would my dad. would my mom.
would warmth and bounty...
i question -- i never the war, never.
nothing ever went. destroyed
i like London, i bombed Berlin,
i Hero-She-Ma cloud-dark. i core my life.
child wrong parents. wrong war world. wrong.




Jerry Hicks also appeared in Issue 8. His poems have been published in Rattle, Red River View, Anthology, Dan River, VeRT and others. Hicks hosts literary workshops, poetry events, and slams. He received the Excellence in Literary Art award from the City of Torrance in 1999. Books are "Even Weeds have Flowers," "Instructions Included," and "Blind as Bullets in a Crowd."





Anders Lisa Gordon Jan Savanyu Joel Fry Tom Bell Jerry Hicks Kenny A. Chaffin Danny P. Barbare