April 4th

these men were children once
and these motions, games
jumping stooping shaking panting shoving gritting flaying wiping sheering staking tiring

these fine men- identical to whatever mind says
'jump' ' stoop' 'shake' ' pant' ' shove' ' grit' 'flay' 'wipe' 'sheer' 'stake' 'tire'

looking just like children
and by this I mean powerless
each as doomed as the other, to jump and stoop and shake
just exactly as they once did, grown young in their minds
to behold the idea stretching out as if to grab tall bars

pipes, galvanized steel and corrugated
pushing weight back down to the shoulders now, instead of UP
inside grow down