Guns,
Long, steel guns,
Pointed from the water ships.
In the name of the war god.
Straight, shining, polished guns,
Clambered over with jackies in white blouses,
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth.
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns sing war songs,
war chanties.
Shovels,
Broad, iron shovels,
Scooping out oblong vults,
Loosening turf and leveling sod.
I ask you to witness-
The shovel is brother to the gun.
HE LOVED HER
She sat him across from her,
She looked him in the eye.
"How much do you love me?"
He said: "For you I'd die."
She looked down at her hands,
"Would you ever let me go?"
His face turned very serious,
And he responded with a "no."
"What is this about?" He asked,
The girl only shook her head,
"Nothing, I was just curious,"
But he doubted in what she said.
Three weeks after this though,
She sat him down again,
And softly she wispered,
"Do you think there is a heaven?"
He stared at her intently,
Before opening his mouth to reply,
"Yes, I believe there is . . ."
He pointed to the sky.
The girl seemed mostly satisfied,
But her eyes held a sad light,
She held his hand and kissed it,
And he knew something wasn't right.
"Baby, tell me now please,
What are you hiding from me?"
She avoided looking him,
This wasn't going to be easy . . .
Five days later she found herself,
Cradled in a hospital bed,
Her boyfriend right next to her,
Gently kissing her forehead.
"You're gonna be okay,"
He smiled down at her,
Still in a little shock,
That she had liver cancer.
She had told him that she was sick,
And chances were very grim,
But during the week he was tested,
And told her cure was within him.
So he had kissed the girl,
He had been kissing her goodbye,
How much did he love her?
. . . for her he would die . . .
The girl woke up later that day,
After a complicated surgery.
She had gone expecting to die,
Confused she said: "What happened to me?"
The surgeon looked at her,
"Your man also went under his knife,
He gave you his good liver,
In order to save your life."
So he hadn't let her go,
But instead gone in her place,
Trusting that one day in heaven,
He would again look into her face.
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