Portrait From The Infantry

A poem by Alan Dugan

He smelled bad and was red-eyed with the miseries

of being scared while sleepless when he said

this: “I want a private woman, peace and quiet,

and some green stuff in my pocket. Fuck

the rest.” Pity the underwear and socks,

long burnt, of an accomplished murderer,

oh God, of germans and replacements, who

refused three stripes to keep his B.A.R.,

who fought, fought not to fight some days

like any good small businessman of war,

and dug more holes than an outside dog

to modify some Freudian’s thesis: “No

man can stand three hundred days

of fear of mutilation and death.” What he

theorized was a joke: “To keep a tight

asshole, dry socks and a you-deep hole

with you at all times.” Afterwards,

met in a sports shirt with a round wife, he was

the clean slave of a daughter, a power brake

and beer. To me, he seemed diminished

in his dream, or else enlarged, who knows?,

by its accomplishment: personal life

wrung from mass issues in a bloody time

and lived out hiddenly. Aside from sound

baseball talk, his only interesting remark

was, in pointing to his wife’s belly, “If

he comes out left foot first” (the way

you Forward March!), “I am going to stuff

him back up.” “Isn’t he awful?” she said.

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Poems in English 

• The Stwonèn Pworch by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Stage Coach by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Sparrow Club by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Slantèn Light O’ Fall by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Sky A-Clearen by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Shy Man by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Shepherd O’ The Farm by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Settle An’ The Girt Wood Vire by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Scud by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Rwose In The Dark by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Railroad by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Poplars by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Pleäce Our Own Ageän by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Pleäce A Teäle’s A-Twold O’ by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Pillar’d Geäte by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Peasant’s Return by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The New House A-Gettèn’ Wold by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Neäme Letters by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Music O’ The Dead by William Barnes by William Barnes
• The Motherless Child by William Barnes by William Barnes

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