H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

JOSEPH RICHEY

When Cruel Penances Mar Holidays 

Traumas revisited flood the mind

when seeing naked the world

wholly unkind

Screams from the ice

Another scream in the wind

some hell wrought upon

those who’ve sinned.

Breaking through to the other side

Ambulances risk suicide

through intersections live vivisections

Red lights green lights wine by the fire

What flippant and frivolous joys to miss

A tearful face to hold and kiss

When cruel penances mar holidays.

[Originally published in NHS 2011, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs11/.]