We cannot warn the reader that this Godtalk steals away one's own responsibility for evil and stops the hand from taking hold and doing better than the Gods could ever do. Poems of Hate, Hell, Eternal Damnation destroy the great drama of the Holy even as we talk about it. It is amazing, Grace, how much we love these poems of god talk. Poems of War Poems of War make one ill. Poems of War are worse by far than poems of love.
War poems forget to tell one of the sadness they too bring but too late to do better.
Try reciting that poem the next time you find yourself in jail, prison or boot camp with clubs and boots all around you to kick the shit out of you if you fail to do what you are told to do when you are told to do it. Try some of that super macho stuff when you are trying to find some way to honor the brains and talents of a woman you love without crippling her. Try being a real man when you confront a gang of young thugs in the street who are looking closely at you wondering whether you are worth their trouble. That is the trouble with poets. Their words stay around long after they have gone to provoke us.