Unlikely Books is proud to present Star-Spangled Banter, by Bob Marcacci, as our newest poetry chapbook, with cover art by Nancy Victoria Davis originally found at Unlikely's July 4th issue. Star-Spangled Banter is an extroverted passage into the psychological and spirtual American Self; a discussion of boredom, lust, greed, fury, self-righteousness, and other peaceful motives in wartime. Laid out in a wild, spiraling projective verse, Star-Spangled Banter is a controlled and organized wail, a study of the agony of the destructive nature in every nation's soul.
american said he was something more
said he was war-torn and he was worn
on his sleeve
not his heart and not the artful dodger
who art in heaven
a heartfelt imagination
a patriot all striped up and star-studded
at home with a newspaper
in his hands
the word of god awful
gargantuan
what he said he said and he meant it
or that he read it somewhere before or someone told him
he was not so big only thought himself
a model citizen
a regurgitation
a propaganda tactic
and what am i but a man
who has never seen a war with a gun
in my hand so-to-speak
i'm speaking america
fast talk
this truckin' four-wheel drive-shaft
halfway quad in a 4 X 4 cowpoke
rodeo for monster cattle calls
and wall to wall cowboy prattle
wings his little ditty
some city-slicker hick
in a 10-gallon misfit
crammed on his melon
boy-howdy you sho' is
show biz
with all that fancy fizz
and ramblin' man get-up
your mama would turn over
in her grave
'f'she knew you was so plucky
and damn me if you ain't
Star-Spangled Banter is no longer for sale, but you can download it free!
