English Sixth Lesson

66 THEMINNESOTA REVIEW MARK BURKE ENGLISH SIXTH LESSON Pioneer waves at the rural station, White handkerchieves a-flutter. Caprice of shells: A bitter fusillade of rag-bag laughter. His poems, in that short gap. A long slow sunset, usually red, Pommard like blood, jokes about lice, Youth-threnodied In terms of doom and anthems. Today we annotate That dead boy in the mudStorming a B+ salient Until the tramp-tramp-tramp of feet, The bell, commands barked, peace. No trenches-just enjambments. Crab-apple branches and the sun Conspire to make patterns In the silent room. But what about the boy? A metaphorBack in the book again one more dried leaf. ...