Artie’s bedroom told part of the story
Dog eared paperbacks on the floor
See I told you so, The No Spin Zone
Let Freedom Ring
His body art confirmed suspicions
Ditto-head carved into his left forearm
A bald eagle clutching a bloody crucifix
On his right shoulder
Neighbors talked of his fundamental ignorance
Wild theories about Jews and liberals
Conspiracies on everything
From China to French fries
He harassed a Pakistani student once
Punched a black kid in the back of the head
Called him a welfare baby
Stole from the Korean owned liquor store
His girlfriend tried to calm his tendencies
She gently argued for restraint
Pleaded for compromise
And on Election Day, paid with her life
Artie stabbed her eighteen times
Once for every year that she had been alive
When asked why he did it, he said simply
She voted for John Kerry
From the book Anarchy Bell
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