In thinking about Veterans Day I read over some of the pieces linked at the Poetry Foundation's page on Veterans Day Poems, as well as some of the entries at The Sandbox. I have a great deal of respect for soldiers, the sacrifices they make, and the work they do. We wouldn't be who we are without them. That's why this week, I want to write about peace, something we should all be working towards.
I hope you'll join me this week in writing a poem for peace, or perhaps one for soldier. Please share a link to your poem or the poem itself in the comments.
Great subject for today, Tricia. Here's a sonnet I've been steadily revising that touches on what is needed to achieve peace.
ReplyDeleteFirst Saddle
This tall man, hard from handling heavy tack,
Hitches his skittish filly to a post,
Lifts curry comb to groom her bristled back
In gentle circle gestures, like a ghost
Easing an armored steed before a battle.
Once he has her breathing more at peace,
He places on a weathered western saddle
Then tugs a rough cinch tight within the crease
Between her shoulders and her ribs. He taps
Her neck and smooths out tangles in her mane,
Guiding bridle, bit, and leather straps
Over her face. She snaps. He grips a rein,
But slackly, and she softens. Slow to force,
He knows what harm’s in harnessing a horse.
© 2013 Steven Withrow, all rights reserved
When the Sun
ReplyDeleteWhen the sun lights the leaves sideways
with gold and it’s summer, with cool evening
coming on, and the cut grass smells green,
when the taste of grape popsicle
is still on your tongue and the feel of fast
on your bike is still in your legs, when school
is forgotten, like a scrap of notebook paper
that fell from your pocket, when you are laughing
with your sister on the front steps, that is peace.
You will keep it with you forever.
—Kate Coombs, 2013
all rights reserved
THE PARENTAL CIRCUS
ReplyDeleteMomma and Dada are piercing each other’s hearts with
Words being fired like arrows hitting their intended mark.
This cacophony of madness has been going on since supper.
I hunker down in my room as the parental circus travels to
Their bedroom. I hold Dolly, my French poodle who’s shaking
Like a tree caught in the grips of a hurricane. She’s usually a
Chatterbox though now she’s remains silent as her eyes dart
Back and forth. This argument has now quieted down to crying
Jags with an occasional catching of breath. I feel as if my brains
Being pecked by crows having their last supper. I hear their door
Open as mine follows suit. Momma and Dada sit on either side of me,
Rubbing Dolly’s back then mine. Their eyes are red, noses raw.
Their voices crack as they say to me (and to each other I think)
One word that will start as a healing balm to our sores … Sorry.
(c) Charles Waters 2013 all rights reserved.