1972
Ulrike Meinhof is being transferred
To Zweibrücken Prison
For an ID line-up.
She's white as milk.
She is determined to ruin the process
By declaring "I am Ulrike Meinhof!"
When the police bring in the witnesses.
Knowing this, the officer instructs
The five other women to imitate her
No matter what.
When the witnesses arrive, this is what they see:
Six women clawing at their guards,
Like lobsters writhing in a pot,
Each shouting, more and more
Hysterically,
"I AM ULRIKE MEINHOF!
"SWINE!
"THIS IS JUST A FUCKING SHOW!"
© 2006 Richard Norman
has published poems in such journals as The Fiddlehead, The Antigonish Review, and Pittsburgh Quarterly. He lives in South Korea, where he is working on his first poetry collection.
