introducing readers to writers since 1995
April 10, 2004
"the poem must be as modern
as strategic rocket carriers," Harold Norse
by Ron Hogan
The poem must be as modern as strategic rocket carriers
equipped with nuclear warheads
Rockets can reach any point on the planet
atomic submarines can fire nuclear warheads
from any point in the ocean
ACTION! ACHTUNG! NEW WEAPONS! EN GARDE!
The poem must reach any point on the planet
with deadly accuracy
Words are weapons
A giant helicopter force of angry poems
releasing mushroom clouds of warning
will destroy anybody's serenity forever
from any point on the planet
From In the Hub of the Fiery Force: Collected Poems 1934-2003.
Norse is regarded by some as the finest gay poet in American letters, though he has often been overshadowed by the rest of the Beat Generation. His papers are at the University of Indiana. Read three more of his poems.
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