John Hulse Collected Poems (1985–2015)
Volume 2
by
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Hopeful Romantic He used to put fresh pillowcases on a large bible inside his closet hoping that when he used them heaven would bless his dreams. the best and the worst job I ever had It was the first week of the first Gulf War and we were headed to the Jewish Community Center in Berkeley. When we arrived it was my job to patrol the outside gate and wait for crazy men with bad intentions who might want to open up on the synagogue with an AK-47 or with a load of explosives strapped to their chests or inside their cars. My job was to make sure they didn’t get through the front gate. The hours passed as the rabbi’s continued their lessons in peace. Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melech ha-olam, she-asah neeseem la-avotaynu ba-yameem ha-heim ba-z'man ha-zeh. (Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time.) I wondered what my mother and father back in Indiana would think of their son now, staring straight ahead wondering what the next moment would bring. For two weeks I patrolled outside the synagogue without incident. The same time in Israel, suicide bombers killed 22 and wounded 17. I prayed for a return to the peace of the cornfields. I was alive, and it was time to go home.
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About the Book
An amazing collection of poems from John Hulse. His award-winning poetry and stories touch on subjects of social justice, religion and spirituality, and politics and humor. The book was written to try and raise money and awareness for veterans causes. Proceeds from the book will be directed towards veteran organizations.
An emotional rollercoaster. Soon to be a cult classic.
Kristina Betts, Lapel Review
It made me blow the dust off my copy of Orwell’s 1984. An amazing compilation.
Susan Hampton, Edgewood Journal
About the Author
John Hulse is a poet, artist, photographer, and filmmaker from Anderson, Indiana. He is the author of Collected Poems (1985-2015) volume 1; Haiku on the Bush Administration (2012); The Best and Worst Job I Ever Had (Selected Poems 1985–2005) (2006); Villains of the Impeachment: Sex, Lies, and $50 Million Taxpayer Dollars (2004); Democracy for Sale! The Two Year Search for Extraterrestrials and Campaign Finance Reform (2002); From the Beats to the B Sides (1999); Teachable Movies for Elementary and Middle School Classrooms (1998); and Somewhere West of the Fields (1992).
His poetry and short stories have appeared in twenty-five anthologies, including Mythic America: An Anthology of New American Poetry (Crescent Moon-England), and has received awards from the Bay Area Poets Association, the Southern Writer’s Association, including an Editor’s Choice Award, the International Poet of Merit Award, and the Shakespeare Trophy of Excellence.
Mr. Hulse has also worked as a book editor for dozens of universities and publishing companies from all over the world. Titles include What’s It All About?, which deals with world views on religion from the ancient Greeks to Einstein’s theory of relativity; In the Shadows of the Holocaust and Communism; American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination; The Kennedy Brothers: A Legacy In Photographs; African Wars: A Defense Intelligence Perspective; Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: Man of Spirit, Man of Action; Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign; Extraordinary Women of Medicine; Damn Yankees: Yogi, Whitey and the Mick; The Story of American Golf; A Pocket Guide to Environmental Bad Guys; Easy Prey, which was written by former secretary of defense William S. Cohen; The Best American Movie Writing 2001, edited by director John Landis; The Gangs of New York, which was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, the autobiography of sixties R&B singer Eric Burdon; and Indian Yell by Dances with Wolves author, Michael Blake.