Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Civil Penalties for Mailing Anything Dangerous - poem

 Lawrence Hall

Mhall46184@aol.com

Dispatches for the Colonial Office

LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love

Home - Hello Poetry

 

“Civil Penalties for Mailing Anything Dangerous”

 

 

        …our children will be ashamed…

remembering how in so strange a time

common integrity could look like courage


                                            -Yevtushenko, “Talk,” in Selected Poems: Yevtushenko

 

 

The postmistress chants this as part of her list to us

Whenever a citizen sends a package by postal bus:

Civil penalties for mailing anything dangerous

Firearms, fireworks, a radioactive truss

 

Air bags - and why mail one? (just an aside)

Poisons, perishables, formaldehyde

The cremated ashes of your cousin Clyde

Or anything else on the weirdo side

 

Logical enough

 

But in these fearful days, under our mad regime

Mailing even a thoughtful letter is a dangerous scheme


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Civil Penalties for Mailing Anything Dangerous - poem

 Lawrence Hall Mhall46184@aol.com Dispatches for the Colonial Office LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and L...