1969

By Miriam Bassuk

Vietnam war roared its death dance

from afar, just like now, after we bombed Iran.

Life does go on, and maybe,

we remain impervious,

but somewhere, the wolf howls,

and the splinter in our skin

singes. Hard to push it away.

Great pain from waging war, 

which no amount 

of God Bless America, 

or God Bless our troops

can take away. 

 Miriam Bassuk treasures the Northwest for its natural beauty and thriving literary community. Hoping to capture some of that magic, 

she has been published in Breathe, Snapdragon, Borderless, and 3 Elements Review. She was also a featured poet in a project 

sponsored by Tod Marshall, the Washington State poet laureate. Miriam said, “Here’s a recent poem I wrote after the bombing of Iran.”