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agnusde2017's avatar

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

By Randall Jarrell

From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,

And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.

Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,

I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.

When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

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Rae's avatar

Thank you for introducing me to Randall Jarrell. I’m off to get his book.

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JD Fratzke's avatar

One of my favorites since I was introduced to him in High School. Beautiful, brutal and beyond compassionate. The enlightenment one is compelled to share after surviving horror forced upon them. The bravery he exercised in writing against the jingoistic, societal grain of 'victory' at the time is rarely addressed - and needed now more than ever.

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Mike M. in the PNW's avatar

Thank you for reminding me of Randell Jarrell whose work, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner scalded my soul forever when I was in college. A brilliant writer.

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Zuu - Radio Free Amerika's avatar

Thank you for this... by chance we come upon writings such as this. Like being struck by lightning in the thunderstorm of the web..

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Tim Small's avatar

Lots of expensive verbiage gets spent on lesser lights, but this guy doesn’t go away.

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Cate Salenger's avatar

Powerful. Thank you. I'd like to be struck by that kind of lightning.

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Sel Gossett's avatar

I’ve never read his work before. And now? I’ll seek it out.

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Branwen Drew's avatar

Beautiful poems

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Jo-Ann Petrarca's avatar

I love the simplicity in these poems.

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Steve Gabe's avatar

Dignity

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