Boston Corbett by Michael Ceraolo

From: American Labor:  An Episodic Epic

 Boston Corbett

Some of you may have heard of me:

I am a footnote in American history,

the soldier who killed John Wilkes Booth

(There were those then,

                                    and those now,

who maintain that Booth wasn't killed in the shootout,

yet I was the one called crazy 

and institutionalized)

 

                                   Some of you,

those who have read Scott Martelle's book,

may also remember I was a preacher,

and also know of some of my quirks

Some of you may be wondering

what I am doing in a poem about labor,

considering me not even a footnote there

I couldn't disagree more:

                                       to me,

anyone who ever belonged to a union

is more than a footnote in labor history

I was a proud member of the

Hat Finishers' National Trade Association,

working as a silk-hat finisher

during and between preaching gigs

                                                     And that,

unknown to us hatters at the time,

was most likely what led to my brain problems:

the mercury used on the job

And in this I was not alone

Bio:  "Michael Ceraolo is a retired firefighter/paramedic and active poet who has had one full-length book (Euclid Creek, from Deep Cleveland Press) and a few chapbooks published (among the chapbooks is Cleveland Haiku, from Green Panda Press). He has a second full-length book, Euclid Creek Book Two, forthcoming from unbound content press, and is continually working on new and existing poetry projects.