NEW POEMS
Epitaph for Luther Brown
While teaching in the United States I came to know a brilliant footballer, who was subsequently killed in an air crash. His name was not Luther Brown, but the elements were as near as makes no difference.
Luther Brown, All-American guard, Your reluctant brain, in classes, Drove your instructors mad But, caught in the arc-bright stadium, You were certain and rapid In kill, as a hunting bird.
German theologian and English nonentity Combined in your negro name: Black as a Southerner's boot You cleaved your way to fame With a mouthful of broken teeth And a 240 lb. frame.
To hear of your death In indolent Ireland Is to remember an alien world: The weird rites of Homecoming, The mathematical grid-iron, The frenzied Alumni crowd.
Luther, captain and star, Block- and powerhouse Of the back line, In your chosen place You were an elected king And shone with pure design.
JOHN MONTAGUE
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