New poem: Manure Cannon

BAM!

Echo, like thunder off the shell of the sky-dome.

We, all on the terrace, glance at each other,

Jump to action.

Everyone knows what to do.

Grab something quick,

Whatever we don’t want to have to wash

Or hose off tomorrow:

Mugs of ice-tea,

Trays of cucumber slices, carrot sticks,

Bowls of chips, cheese, cold-cuts,

Pitcher of wine. . .

We all know how long we have too.

About three and a half minutes

And the shit will be raining down.

Pig shit, horse shit, chicken shit, human shit, bullshit,

A fine mist of shit, covering everything.

That’s how they get rid of it now,

They fire it into the sky

As high as they can

And let it rain down on our party.

BAM!

BAM!

Echo thunders again and again.

The kids are already inside,

Watching from behind the curtains.

Dog is barking angrily at the sky.

He’s the only one who is angry.

He hasn’t learned

It’s useless to rail at fate,

I mean, the gods.

                     --Gary Lindorff

GARY LINDORFF is resident poet at ThisCantBeHappening!, the new independent, uncompromised five-time Project Censored Award-winning online alternative newspaper. His work, and that of colleagues JOHN GRANT, DAVE LINDORFF, ALFREDO LOPEZ, LORI SPENCER, LINN WASHINGTON, JR. and the late CHARLES M. YOUNG, can be found at www.thiscantbehappening.net