Intermission
by Peter Vetrano
ABOUT THE BOOK Intermission-From the Publisher
Peter Vetrano began writing poetry in 1970 after reading Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" for an English class. He counts among his favorite poets Basho, Peter McWilliams, Richard Diem, Gary Edwards and Paul Lowney, who in his BIG BOOK OF GLEEB wrote one of Peter's favorite verses: "I've just filled my swimming pool with pirannah fish . . . If I don't swim there anymore, the pirannah fish will die." In describing the reason for his writing, Mr. Vetrano quotes from Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade": "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die."
SMOKE SIGNAL
Pencil in hand,
my thoughts grow warm
consuming image, space diminished
rising haiku
is nearly finished
FOR JOHN AND JACOB
"Dad, when I'm your age,
will you still be alive?'
Dad, with a nervous smile,
'I'll try ,Son, I'll really try.'