Joan E. Bauer: Tribal
Grandpa Joe was nearly born in steerage
from Palermo, but landed in Texas.
He loved watching Jimmy Durante on TV.
The Great Schnozzola, a man of his tribe.
My father-in-law Gene returned from the Pacific
damaged, painstakingly endured.
About any big headline, he’d say:
Is this good for the Jews?
When young friends began with nose rings,
tattoos & crystals, I confess: I didn’t get it.
These days ‘tribal’ is a synonym for ‘awesome.’
Who knew? So there’s still time to sign on
as a utopian/feminist anarcho-syndicalist, locally
sourced & intentional?
My tribe? I say: Everyone. But I’m often mistaken
for Filipino. Or Greek. Or Arabic. Or Chinese.
Copyright 2018 Joan E. Bauer
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Joan E. Bauer
