Adam
I was one of thirty embryos,
but I alone survive.
I am the Savior sibling
Without which my sister dies.
We started out in vitro-
Men in white coats then decided
That I would be implanted,
all the others left to die.
Mollie, my older sister,
carries a defective gene:
Excess hemoglobin
caused anemia extreme.
From my umbilicus they took stem cells
And Mollie’s blood was cleaned.
They say I am a miracle.
To most, that’s how it seems.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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Home Coming
A Man who served in Vietnam
is coming home today.
He’d scarcely recognize us-
so long he’s been away.
He fought in the Tet offensive
in a city known as Hue.
Somehow, unaccountably,
when others left, he stayed.
An honor Guard escorts him,
descending from the Plane.
He is an easy burden;
a few bones, a soldiers’ name.
For years he waited patiently
for the searchers to arrive.
The dead are far more patient
than their brothers who survive.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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PEARL, the Aftermath
TAP, TAP, TAP- Over here! Over here!
We hear their frantic tapping.,
sailors trapped in the capsized ship
with the water levels rising.
We work with acetylene Torches,
work quickly as the December sun dies.
The smell of blood and oil mixes
I'm too numb to let myself cry.
Work is my only salvation
for me and the men down below.
I am racing with time to their rescue
A race I might lose even so.
Tap, tap, tap, the sound growing fainter
some sailors have died as they wait
Others survive, breathing foul air
Praying for deliverance from fate.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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The Crime of Valentine
It was Love in the dock
at old Bailey this time.
It was Love stood accused
Of unspeakable crimes..
Some ladies had joined
in a class action suit.
It concerned breech of promise
and the theft of their youth.
The ladies bore witness
That Love pulled a fraud.
That those frogs weren’t Princes-
That Love is a baud.
Love’s sole defense
Was that Love was traduced
Who knew his young swains
Weren’t speaking the truth?
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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Adam’s Rib
I was one of thirty embryos,
but I, alone, survive.
I am the Savior sibling
Without which my sister dies.
We started out in vitro-
Men in white coats then decided
That I would be implanted,
all the others left to die.
Mollie, my older sister,
carries a defective gene:
Excess hemoglobin
caused anemia extreme.
From my umbilicus they took stem cells
And Mollie’s blood was cleaned.
They say I am a miracle.
To most, that’s how it seems.
[...] Read more
poem by John F. McCullagh
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Strange Bedfellows
The first night that they slept apart
-I think because he had a cough-
He grabbed his pillow from their bed
Mimed a kiss and then was off.
Their separation lingered on
like cancer growing in a womb
Days into weeks turned into years
each spouse in their separate room.
Anniversaries came apace
To the separate cells wherein they dwell
All marveled at “togetherness.”
None could glimpse their private hell
.
No kiss, no glance, no warm embrace
As would ward off a winter’s chills
No passionate heat or casual lust
Not that either needed pills
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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Citius Altius Fortius?
The starters' pistol sounded once
and sneakered feet churn up the clay-
Fame and fortune they pursue
Four hundred meters ahead, gold, lay.
Muscles strain and lungs may burn
inspired by Olympic fire
Faster, Higher, Stronger, yes-
The Motto does serve to inspire.
The race is run and some excel
Others just happy they took part.
Those fastest, on the podium stand,
to hear their anthem, hand on heart.
Obama has a different dream:
He'd make those Medals Lead, Tin and Clay
If no man makes his own success
why give the precious stuff away?
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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The empty nest
The wind is raw, a sleeting rain
Has covered everything in ice..
It coats an inch of killing snow.
Take it slow is good advice.
I clear my walkway of the slush
And pause to view my little tree
It is a dwarf non-fruiting Pear.
I had the City plant for me.
In its bare branches is a nest,
An impressive edifice of sticks
Abandoned now for sweeter climes
In Spring a nesting pair raised chicks.
I long to hear their call once more
They used to wake me at first light
But soon their chicks had taken flight
And all was silent as the night.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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I Have a Scheme
“Too long, this land has walked in darkness
Her steps dogged by doubt and despair.”
“Today I come with my solution:
Say the Pledge and say a prayer.”
A great turnout, three hundred Thousand
Overflowed the grassy Mall
Up on Lincoln’s Memorial Steps
Glen and Sarah were enthralled.
There, where Martin had made History,
They evoked a brighter day.
An America with pride and courage-
Where, before tests, school kids could pray.
Restore the country, restore our honor
Turn the country back to God
Sarah Palin invoked King
(which seemed at least a trifle odd.)
Something beyond imagination
Taking place before our eyes:
People showing love of country,
Not spreading hate, nor spewing lies.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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The Audacity to Grope (Rep. Eric Massa)
I did not lie, I just misspoke
Contributions, not bribes, help decide my vote.
As of right now, I'm an outcast
because Health care hasn't passed.
I did not have sex with that man.
I merely groped him with my hand
And certainly not in a sexual way
He just misunderstood my play.
For surely I just played around-
I tickled him and held him down.
He took offense at things I’d say
It’s just my salty seadog way
Help me, Glenn Beck, to make this clear-
For I am groping blindly here,
Searching for the words to say
to make this whole thing go away.
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poem by John F. McCullagh
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