Some People

by Robert Knight


Some people
To touch them is
To invade them

Some people
To stand indifferent is
To beckon them hither

Some people
To cry at their feet is
To invite a restraining order

Some people
To unlock their door is
To summon a cyclone

Some people
To stand out in their crowd is
To splinter their skin

Some people
To burn down a house is
To light their way.

Some people
To warble in rhythm is
To make them believers

Some people
To cook them up some beefcake is
To channel them a Zen master

Some people
To write them a poem is
Fucking useless.

A Poet is a Soldier

A poet is a soldier
and every word ammunition
against what is not true
what is not good
He is a well-trained marksman
who must aim from his heart
and ignite explosions of beauty
He must hit his targets directly
the truth is in the crossfire
the slightest misfire
has dire consequences

A poet is a soldier
and every poem a battle
the enemy field generals
absurdity, fear, despair
He must come up from the
trenches naked to face them
whether or not he defeats them
is a matter of his own mind

A poet is a soldier
in an army of peace
in a war against those who
actually brandish weapons
those who answer `kill'
to every question
those who voice their opinions
by shutting the mouths of others
The carnage is escalating
These perpetrators have captured
many of us, put us to death
within our own selves
But our words are more powerful
than their guns
And the time has come
to charge