When we met, I exposed you to my niche
of Civil War studies
by reciting the Palmetto Sharpshooters unit history.
I had no idea you were from South Carolina
and had not listened to rock and roll
since the day the Beatles broke up.
To imagine you never heard of U2
or the Iron Brigade of the West
caused me to think we required a field trip
to Quebec City were we would be
on a more even footing—
each of us knowing next to nothing Canadian.
But you said you were
moving into a new apartment this weekend
and needed help moving furniture.
I carried seventeen long boxes marked bibles
and wondered if you were more in tune
with John Brown and Beecher’s Bibles than I credited you.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 