Clinton Does Vietnam
(Newspoem 25 November 2000)
by William Gillespie and Andy Gricevich
The slippery-thin
bard of the libido asks
you to forget it.
A conflict you know
as "the American War"
The slippery-thin
veneer of friendship
covers the covering of
a conflict you know
"I'm a happy man
He shook my hand. Twice." So the
veneer of friendship
is a repeated
and "mutual tragedy
"I'm a happy man
Photographed at the
Temple of Literature
is a repeated
description of war
as if it were a cyclone
photographed at the
moment forest green-
clad police fought back the crowd:
description of war
as "vivid symbols--"
He might as well have uttered,
"Moment forest green-"
His pale blue necktie
shimmering, bright fall sunshine
as "vivid symbols--"
like Vietnamese
bands bashing out the "Banner."
His pale blue necktie
the economic
equivalent of nature
like Vietnamese
not allowed to ask
about new trade agreements,
the economic
you to forget it.
Is trade inevitable?
(not allowed to ask)
pantoum
haiku
panku
combined forms