22 Caliber Poem by Deborah Dalton

Smith & Wesson's
original call for
self-defense

Lethal, compact
revolution
pulled from the
holster
or
hip

1 to 31
chambers
filled with
ammo
dipped with
royal praise
tainted the
contradictory
ethos of lament

Single-action
Thought
Thumb
Trigger

Double-action
Thought
Trigger

Triple-action
Thought

Padre
Bambino
and
the Wind

Snuffing out
despair,
loneliness,
anguish,
hunger,
desperation, and
horror...
holy recompense

The shot
one
that
pierces
grips
shakes
and
trembles
the human spirit



'Eli, Eli, lama sabacththani'



~ D²,4.19.14,9: 11 AM