by Mark Zimmermann
It appalls—as bullets appall.
Battle built it;
labs test it,
label it: U.S.A.
I use it.
Plate, bat, ball:
a blast leaps.
Put up a slate tablet? Salute
Paul Tibbets? Bull.
Let all applause pass. I'll sleep—
a late, pale blip.
Author’s Note: This poem is a lipogram. A lipogram is a writing in which one or more letters of the alphabet are deliberately excluded. In this case, the constraint is determined by using only letters that appear in the title/subject's name, Paul Tibbets = a-b-e-i-l-p-s-t-u.
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Since 2004 Mark Zimmermann has lived in Milwaukee with his wife and two cats, teaching writing and literature courses at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Previously (1993-2004) he did the same work in Japan, Hungary and Poland. He has had poems published in New Letters, Verse Wisconsin, The Writer, and many other publications.
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