We thought
if we took the long road
there’d be no war
when we arrived
home. two tv screens
two horrors,
on one set, a mother in Gaza
cries
over her child’s body
on another, a soldier explains
that no one died
who didn’t deserve it.
you turn your head
this way and that,
my solitary bird,
but I have no comfort to give you.
forgive me, I’m only as good
as my last night
of good sleep.
and that was forever ago.
The contrasts are impactful Trish. Certainly being plugged into news focused on destruction, being aware of what is happening ‘out there’, can make sleep feel like a guilt experience as does holiday escape. I like your use of ‘forgive’ and ‘solitary’, also the thread of heart/head awareness. Great title.
Phil
Thanks Phil I’m glad the simplicity is working on some level and that the title works…maybe conveying the bargains we make to fall asleep. I really appreciate your comments
Hi Trish, I tried to take this poem apart, understand why it works for me, but it’s slippery. The long road = delay? Putting off forming an opinion? The two screens the two points of view. Whatever, it works, it’s effective. An imaginative weave.
Thank you David, that means a lot…
I actually worked over this quite a bit, and I hope that doesn’t show.
Cheers, old friend,
Introducing the fidgeting bird in s2 was the hook for me. I felt like the bird was a metaphor for the the N’s own buried anxiety over the global tumult. Very cool read.
I"m glad to know, Tom, struggled a bit over that part so goo to know.
Cheers