Polite Request John McKernan I want you to lie down beside my corpse I want you to bend over and touch it with two fingers Slowly Quietly You don’t want to scare it away I want you to stand up with it Carry it with care Don’t worry I hate it too Especially the new clothes It will be light as a shadow Smelling like licorice Look both ways as you cross the river to Omaha Walk slowly into the calendar Looking carefully for my birthday May 11 1942 It will be quiet there The Greatest War has just begun Just when the sun rises Recite my name Once Right beside the joyful tears of my mother Don’t worry She’s not afraid of anything by now I want you to sprinkle it with holy water Carry it off To some garden or garbage dump Far away Don’t let it come near me Ever
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Forever