- The Skirts of John Brown
an erasure of Henry David Thoreau’s“A Plea for Captain John Brown”
old-fashioned his faith inrangers, escape. he concealedthat prairie by wear[ing] a dress.
I know more of calves, fondness, practice, Kansas, accent slanting wrong, [End Page 122] parched men,God, loose morals. Give me men. a score or so ofblood to fill that office easy.
He[,] Spartan,sparingly and hard, fitting himself[a] man of distinguished yielding[,] whim within bounds, vent his pent-upvolcano rapidly [End Page 123] like force and meaning. an ordinary [queen].scarcely a man openly and passed[.]his imaginary Kansasso large I will be taken. I will fatten easily under his body or purse. universal woodenness.head and heart, bigotry and bulk,curse [End Page 124] and A church, a new style andThe modern dream of wear[ing] their breasts bare asthe Liberator, the skirts of John Brown.
erecting those who turn to shuffling,as many at least as twelve disciples, crazy John Brown on the [dance] floor.
fair maiden, have respect for the penetration [End Page 125] of any man.we defend our hen-roosts, mopping the spot.we’ve wholly forgotten how to die.
Captain Brown was hung.
He is not any longer he[;] he is No man [but] a sweet movement to gratify any spirit.when you see it, sing it; no more weep[ing] for Captain Brown. [End Page 126]
Michael Mlekoday is a poet and performer from Minneapolis, MN. Mlekoday is the author of The Dead Eat Everything (Kent State University Press, 2014), and has work published or forthcoming in Ploughshares, Verse Daily, Gawker, The BreakBeat Poets, and other venues.