Wednesday, August 02, 2006

THE NIPPLE EFFECT

June 21, 2006


by Erle Kelly


Janet Jackson made
the Congressional Record.
Or, her nipple did.
Right there with Roe v. Wade,
the 2000 mile fence
to keep the Mexicans out
and the resolution to invade Iraq
because “they gotta have WMD.”
The incensed House is making sure
no child will see a mammary gland
after suckling it for their first two years.
Nintendo and Play Station horror:
fast-action hero dismemberment games
slide under the radar screen.
Sex is taboo.
Violence gets PG-13, a pass.
A national referendum
on bra tensile strength?
Legislate. Go on the stump.
Whip up the base.
Stay the course.
Let’s nip this nipple
in the bud.


Erle Kelly lives in Long Beach, California, attended Cal State University, Long Beach where he received a BA in Business Administration. He retired three years ago and has been filling his time traveling, gardening, volunteering and attending a poetry workshop conducted by Donna Hilbert, a noted published poet and writer both in the US and England. This is Erle's first published poem which came out of the workshop.