Poets Against War continues the tradition of socially engaged poetry by creating venues for poetry as a voice against war, tyranny and oppression.
F.J. Bergmann
48 years old
Lost in Translation
She came out of the long winter With a message I understand. —Eric Rawson, “Years Ago the Magpie Journeyed”
When body after body fell in flames the snake writhed and lashed its tail until the rattling segments blurred and snapped its dripping fangs at the empty air.
When fear closed its coils upon the world we passed demure and cautious resolutions, with qualifying statements of support for our young people in the armed forces.
When every paper sold printed the same lies, thousands of us spoke the truth and were as invisible as birdcalls in the rumble of tank treads and armored cars.
When a god who wished us ill manifested itself to our ruler and whispered obscene instructions with an oiled tongue, we shouted until our throats rusted shut with tears.
When we saw how little good our votes and wishes did, we hid our hopes deep underground and began praying to beings whose ears were less apparent.
When the powerful no longer listen to the desperate, there is a language that anyone can learn to speak: crosshairs, a semetex waistband, boxcutters, fine white dust.
