Wednesday, March 30, 2016

thorns

sometimes there are wild blackberries
you can't reach
in the thicket
of butler county pennsylvania
without a grownup's hardened skin

at least that's what
my dad's second wife
would say
and then she'd say
don't worry
there are bigger worries
in this world

like when the mccarthy committee thought police
served a subpoena on my dad
at 3am on the darkest night
in 1953

and he didn't bow
and he didn't talk

and denim long sleeves
became my shield

--- e b bortz
 

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