Philip Metres

History Lesson, Part 3

Never again!
Again. Never
again. It’s over.
Ever over. Over,
over again. We’re even.
Even forever. Again
and a gain, never
a gain. No. Over for
never. Novacaine. It’s over,
Cain. Cain/Abel, Cane
Hobble, Can’t-Able.
Cannibal. Camp Bull.
Can. Unable. No!
Never again. Ever and over,
again. Again. Again.


Philip Metres
History Lesson, Part 3 is from Poems for Lord Hutton (nth position, 2003).