Page 48 - Contrast1997
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Rosie, 1943 ;11
Weight of a nation
upon your thick shoulders,
halo glows atop gaze of defiance
silent and serene.
Hair ablaze,
with rockets red glare,
fair skin speckled with soot,
ruddy cheeks, perfectly pugged nose.
American beauty:
bulk of manhood
balanced on feminine bones.
Beyond seas
navy as your bibbed overalls,
bombs are bursting in air.
Well-fleshed form,
broad back and birthing hips.
Off hours, baby at your breast
gave proof through the night
mother love was still there.
Mid-day, amongst grinding
throb of destruction
you sit, hand swallowing sandwich
the whims of a diseased mind
lie beneath your feet.
Daily strain to hear
your own prayers
above scream of rivets
and the moan of sheet metal,
till it will all be over
over there.
Janet Keymetian
46
