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ment in San Anglo and we gained a lot in experience. Best thing
was, Tex got educated and he sure ain't one of these chauvinists
any more. Sam's got a mighty nice wife and two of the cutest
little kinky-headed kids you ever laid eyes on. You can find Tex
over at Sam's house right often playing checkers or ·pinochle
with Sam. Sometimes, it's a three-handed game because I'm
there.
POEM
What does it matter: that groupings
Of men venture reason into the crying,
-good god, what does it matter–
That alleys rot with weeping; that men
Are ripe for dying; are learned in killing–
What does it matter. Let us
Gravely poison every pool where
Plato drank; upend the words,
'love' 'heart'
'love' heart'.
Let us dream with the heavy artillery
Stopping the lovely mouth
Of this generation; let us dream
While shells pour paradise
Into the bowels of these young men.
Let us say with Wordsworth; let us say
With Herrick, Isaac Watts and Hunt:
Say we were weary, say we were cheated,
Say we fell like sheep and bleated;
Say life went over, missing us--
But add, we died content,
With Big Berthas kissing us.
-KENNETH PATCHEN
