Poem 40

True story … could have just been a bad day though …

( I like joined the war like a shot … )

Blue Man

A little blue man taught me a lot
blue-black of heart disease
and some colonial island
I never caught the name of
he joined the war like a shot
and met her in Paris afterward
salutes explosions flowers
the Eiffel Tower crying rain
  into the streets
he said come with me to a new country
where I'll be so absurd
as to teach history
   and the ragged relieved citizenry
lit the touchpapers of their firework rations
and cheered
               as she made her perilous descent
into thin blue arms

he taught me history
and I went to their house for lunch
his wife called us up from the room
where he had his train set
     his ham radio
     and his opera
she came to the top of the stairs three times
and called us and each time
he ignored her
                 at lunch
he spoke to me
but he didn't speak to his wife
I wanted to wave my arms and shout Paris
            Paris …

their eyes were archways
love had blundered through