aplus
12-16-2004, 07:37 AM
http://slumz.boxden.com/showthread.php?t=127656
As always, criticize or compliment...1
My Father’s Handgun
A week after death seized you,
we found it in your neatly cluttered armoire,
even though you promised mom
that it had been pawned a decade earlier.
Clean and shiny, a metal snake
tucked underneath neckties
and rolled-up socks.
I imagine you polished its barrel
to calm your irritated nerves,
while taking effortless drags from a Kool.
I was outside shooting baskets
and mom was working overtime
while your fingers made love to the weapon
with admiration.
After years of army combat,
all you could do
legally
was imagine inflicting death upon
bill collectors, politicians, coworkers,
and anyone else who caused pain.
You had spent so many nights
sleeping next to violence
that you just had to
hold it in your hands
occasionally.
You hid it anytime the garage door opened
to avoid fussing with your wife,
exactly the way I stash
this inherited firearm away
whenever my girlfriend’s sedan approaches,
trying to avoid getting caught
in the same lie that you were able to dodge
until after your funeral.
As always, criticize or compliment...1
My Father’s Handgun
A week after death seized you,
we found it in your neatly cluttered armoire,
even though you promised mom
that it had been pawned a decade earlier.
Clean and shiny, a metal snake
tucked underneath neckties
and rolled-up socks.
I imagine you polished its barrel
to calm your irritated nerves,
while taking effortless drags from a Kool.
I was outside shooting baskets
and mom was working overtime
while your fingers made love to the weapon
with admiration.
After years of army combat,
all you could do
legally
was imagine inflicting death upon
bill collectors, politicians, coworkers,
and anyone else who caused pain.
You had spent so many nights
sleeping next to violence
that you just had to
hold it in your hands
occasionally.
You hid it anytime the garage door opened
to avoid fussing with your wife,
exactly the way I stash
this inherited firearm away
whenever my girlfriend’s sedan approaches,
trying to avoid getting caught
in the same lie that you were able to dodge
until after your funeral.