Audience Participation

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he went off to war
to become a dead boy
like a member of an audience

he didn’t feel
like a member of an audience
he felt like a warrior

ready to impress
the sole of his boot
in the sand of history

from a hamlet in Nebraska
where he learned to salute
he went off to die

where he learned of love in the loge
seats, she loved the uniform,
the raiment of the brave

the impresario on the stage
sold him his ticket
then punched it

and war dollars are flying
higher than the flag
we salute before the play