prisonspolitical prisoner home pagepolitical prisoner listingMarilyn Buck – Rescue the Word

Rescue the Word

Marilyn Buck

sacred words are in danger
fugitives, they seek cover
bury themselves alive
shamed by the profane
purposes they are forced to serve
dressed in lily-white lies
words are in danger
english only vows
to tear out tongues
exiled witnesses
to collective memory and homeland ties
sacred words are in danger
trapped, they hang on billboards
judas-goats to conjure deception
sing them shout them
teach them
wear them
around your neck
amulets against amnesia


March 1998
Published in Rescue the Word, 2001


Marilyn's home page, her Wild Poppies poetry CD, other poems, Autobiographi (poem), Rescue the Word (poetry chap book), writings on prison control units, on "Legal Issues for Women in Federal Prison", "On the Burning of African-American Churches".


prisonspolitical prisoner home pagepolitical prisoner listingMarilyn Buck – Rescue the Word

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April 2, 2005