Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001 00:04:47 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Poems of Dr. Eugene Vickery [1] (fwd)





---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 20:40:30 -0600
From: kent johnson <kljohnson45-AT-HOTMAIL.COM>
To: BRITISH-POETS-AT-JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Poems of Dr. Eugene Vickery [1]

[ca. 1980's, following his move into faux-naive style, in which all his
post-1965 poetry is composed. kj]

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Test Tube Baby

My wife and I had tried so long
To have a child that would belong
To both of us and be our joy--
We wanted either a girl or boy.

Her tubes were scarred, my count was low,
There wasn't any way to go,
But to a place where they could mate
Her egg, my sperm upon a plate.

Successfully it thus was done
And when new life had just begun,
They put it in her womb to grow--
It made us happy, you must know.

She carried well, brought forth a son:
Our happiness had over-run
All bounds and we thought finally
We could have a family.

But then a pastor gave a prod
And said we were betraying God.
What we should have done, he said,
Was adopt a child instead.

Adoption's fine for those who wish,
But I don't see a Petri dish
As anything so very wrong
If it brings a child along.

God gave us precious brains,
So if a doctor goes and trains
To learn just how to do some things
That releif to people brings,

It cannot be against God's will.
The doctor's helping to fulfill
God's command to multiply--
And that's what we did surely try.

I hope our son will live and grow
In the way that he should go;
Honored poet, professor, or fireman,
We'll help him every way we can.

If we could not have done this way,
Adoption would have saved the day,
But we think no one should deny
A little dish to those who try.

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