ustxtxb_obs_2007_10_05_50_00020-00000_000.pdf

POETRY I BY RAUL OSEGUERA & NONA BLANCHARD A LINE OF LIFE Remember, the rain makes the river, And lives always in the adventurous air. Under an umbrella of cumulus clouds is a Long and fresh line of life. Raul Oseguera ABBREVIATED EPITAPH In the governor’s office bags of gold-each one cinched with strings attached were laid in heaps on a capitol table. Back then, there was no McClennan County white house, the cholesterol total max was still 250, and W’s MD had not yet been coined. Word on the street in Brownwood affirms there had been no guard service open secret, not yet covered up and others whispered that W would take them to the dance but he didn’t want to be seen dancing with any fundamentalists. His troika: Newt, Tom, and Karl successfully divided the nation and gerrymandered Texas. His Veep did no-bid bidness, and his AG promised to lie under oath. Chairman in charge of securing the next presidential library the same guy who delivered the swift boat adwas turned down by Baylor, also met opposition at SMU. There is more from fictional yellowcake to dis-info cynicism but what really hurts is that all the Crawford gift shops went belly up. Nona Blanchard NONA BLANCHARD, a writer of poetry, prose, music, and lyrics, is a native of West Texas and past president of the Austin Poetry Society. RAUL OSEGUERA was born in Honduras. His family moved to Tucson, Arizona, in 2004. He wrote this poem for a 9th grade acrostic assignment. Naomi Shihab Nye 20 THE TEXAS OBSERVER OCTOBER 5, 2007