Papa hated liverwurst and ordered it just to cuss.
To plant his flag in the restaurant.
To watch the waiter tremble before Caesar one moment
and beg for a tale of conquest the next.
To add bitters to a saccharine postwar day.
Profanity converted Papa’s war stories to technicolor.
Shit minted wings. Damn made aces. Bullshit
and he became Patton in a newsreel—three stars,
two ivory revolvers, and a dozen bullets for Hitler.
Four-letter words whispered to the cat at breakfast.
Five-alarm swears at the Thanksgiving turkey.
Blasphemy showers like a ticker tape parade.
Papa hated liverwurst and ordered it just to cuss.
Image: US Marine Corps Grumman TBM-3 Avenger by Ronnie Bell licensed under CC 2.0.
John Dos Passos Coggin is a writer based on Alexandria, Virginia. His poetry has appeared in Zenda, The Blue Mountain Review, and Cathexis Northwest Press. His book, Walkin' Lawton, an authorized biography of Florida statesman Lawton Chiles, was published in 2012. Coggin co-manages the John Dos Passos Literary Estate and serves on the advisory board of the John Dos Passos Society.
Latest posts by John Dos Passos Coggin (see all)
- Papa Cussed for Fun - November 14, 2021