Tanis the Tank Killer

Clark Holtzman

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Not that the guy on crutches
roughed up a little old lady
for the last available seat or anything
but we don't like heavy-handed approaches

To be fair, the "little old ladies"
of the bridge club flood the plazas daily
menacing offenders with fatigued, telltale limps
they're like a phalanx of bright blue hair

Sooner or later though the real tanks
play upon every landscape, even this one
completely oblivious to its primal clock
until they get lost among the alternatives

That's why we're asking you not
to get distracted by this kind of image--
the bruises it inflicts are simply unacceptable
under the present circumstances

It's like there's no tomorrow
and what happens next is anybody's guess
including yours, so keep your mind focused
on what's in front of you, your "eyes on the prize"

The 2River View, 2_2 (Winter 1997)