Sunday, June 05, 2005

Missing Watergate Poems

With the revelation this past week that Mark Feld was "Deep Throat", there seems to be a considerable amount of Watergate nostalgia in the air. In that spirit, I offer a handful of poems I wrote the summer of 1972. The summer of the "Watergate Hearings", when impeachment seemed very likely.
I was 17. So, read the poems in that context.

an edited transcript
of the Missing Whitehouse
Watergate Poems
IV.
we knew he was
when he didn't even
maybe the doorway
at (unintelligle)
where the click
click zzzpt
no, he th
ought, it was
wrong, it was
definitely an (pro-
fanity for posterior)'s
plan
laid out in front
like some strange
come over here,
have some tap
in your mouth
honey, or
expletive will
surely
sss
   pp
     latt!
the fan
turn left
wrong (inaudible
phrase)
maybe doorknob
(expletive) it

V.
oh, mother,
what have i done
that i must
carry a gun?
i still recall how
you took care of me,
cradle lullabied
me in your arms,
but now all i see
is the dark
grey smash!
bang battlefield
     ing
as things are
th)r
own hereand
yo(n
der
goodbye, mother,
i pray that
i have been a good
washbehindyourears
son
i remember with this
last
goodbye who it is who
taught me to trust an
believe an to salute
who taught me the
ways of a business suit
mother

VI.
the jester in the
hound's tooth jacket
does not smile or smirk
but straight-faces his
television screen with an
executive scowl
and
sneers toward the press' quarters
in chains
as the choir of the citadel
sings
impeach
 impeach
  impeachment
he draws his dietary collar
up to his neck
and he watches
his hair thin and
magically turn grey
'i grow old, i grow old,'
he says,
'i will hide in South America'
and he scowls again
as an old man on the hill
leads the citadel in song
in singing
impeach
 impeach
  impeachment

IX.
the jester ha ha ha
laugh at him
he destroys his own life
ho ho ho
and the choir laughs
the jester grabs his
dog
   woof
   woof waterwaterwater
   gate open the
ha ha
read the paper yesterday
didn't resign
i didn't resign, the jester laughed,
ha ha ho ho
the choir the choir cho
oir choir is sing
don't worry off key
      ing
impeach
 impeach
  impeachment
washington is burningburningburning
impeachment
Eyes Only

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