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Bill Costley is a revolutionary poet who has
helped edit THE CAMBRIDGE COMMON
MUSE, BUSHMAN, FEATHER COW, and
other magazines. Last January he was
forced to resign from Grahm Junior
College in Boston because of his support
of the Afro-American revolt there.
DACTILARES DEL CHE
(for Hugh Guilderson)
1.
he was on my mind in 1966.
he was on the black & white mind
of the TIMES, N.Y.
372                                                          enough to be
written off publicly
as a Revolutionary
casualty
in the 2nd stage
of Revolution
& so I asked you:
"where is Che? is he dead or alive? really."
"he's in Peru now. exporting the Revolution. later Bolivia."
& it was true.
it was true. for us
it was true. proof of the lie.
it was the pulse
from the living member
held in the clamp of the news-vice
bled out for copy:
DACTILARES DEL CHE
in 1967
in EL TIEMPO, N.Y.
leaked
it was true. for us.
it was true. proof of the lie.
all my dreams of the missing hand & fingers
all my father's fears of the hand lost to the lathe
& the foreman's hand lost to the lathe in disbelief
it was true. for us.
it was true. proof of the lie.