#WorldPoetryDay - Battle Fatigue (or why I no longer teach in a high school)
BATTLE FATIGUE ©2005 Debbie McGowan God loves a trier, But I tire of healing cerebral hamstrings Torn by leaping without training over hurdles That simply were not there yesterday. Of backs chewed through to fronts, Remains spat in the sawdust with disgust And downtrodden through the years Into a pithy pile of organisational waste. Of promises that never saw the light of day… Of honoured guests who outstayed their welcome upon their invited arrival… Of great oak trees that were grafted on the graft of Another lowly acorn’s shoot… Of spine-blunted daggers drooling with the blood of comrades While they feast on the sinewy shavings Of lost ambitions, Spanish moss draped in avenues leading to nowhere… Of paper and pens and boxes to fill, Of statistical accusations, Of schemes. Of pretty girls, words, rooms, hours to kill, Of breeding germs feeding on failing thoughts, Of careers perused on the crest of a doubt, Of axes unground and festering dreams, Of wishi...