Poem by Jimmy Pappas
Big City Cops
Never ask big city cops for directions
since all they do is point straight ahead
& convince you it's the only way to go
& the thing is even though you know it's not
enough information you follow it wondering
if maybe this time you got it right & they gave
it to you straight & if you just kept heading
the same way you always were, you might
find a place so clean & so sunlit & so safe
you could just toss a blanket on the ground
right there & invite passers-by to join you
for a small square of watercress sandwich
& a cup of chamomile tea while you shared
pictures of children waving at everyone.
Jimmy Pappas
Jimmy Pappas served during the Vietnam War training South Vietnamese soldiers. A retired teacher, he was a finalist in the 2017 Rattle Poetry Contest, where he won the 2018 Readers Choice Award. His book Scream Wounds contains poems based on veterans' stories. He won the 2019 Rattle chapbook contest for Falling off the Empire State Building. His interview with Tim Green is on Rattlecast #34.
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