I've held this collection back for a while because I'm so torn regarding my thoughts on war. America has been at war for my daughter's entire life. We're currently occupying so many countries it boggles the mind. I want to believe we're fighting for freedom, but sometimes freedom from fighting seems more important to me. It's not ironic at all to me that the book of Revelation features a creature saying hurt not the oil and wine.
This collection of five poems spans a ten-year period of time, both before and after 9/11.
"The Wall" recalls the Vietnam Memorial as I visited it in my twenties.
"Before September 11" was written before the world as we knew it changed and reflected my then cynicism on the nature of fighting.
"The Way We Went On" was written on September 11. My husband was in Charlotte and was supposed to fly home to Kansas City that morning. He ended up driving a rental car halfway across the country while I watched the images over and over on television.
"Awaiting War" reflects the state of our nation as we waited to see how we would respond to the attacks of 9/11.
"November Reflections" also appeared in my micro collection Shelter, but it also belongs here, as it was written two months after 9/11 as we were all still recovering. In this poem, the house is a metaphor for America.
War is available on Kindle and the iPhone Kindle app for $1 or less. See the Books & Kindle link above for my other poetry collections and short stories.
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Writing about my daughter's swimming issues on BlogHer today.
