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An Anniversary of War

The dictator looks over
his shoulder, afraid.
The actor rallies
his countrymen, tired,

Surprised at the soul
he has found,
the souls he has roused
and lost.

This year of killing.

Pundits write of history
and hurt, tell of
heroes and cowards,
ancient tropes found anew.

Nothing new under the sun,
a chase after the wind,
which smells only of decay.

Each day an anniversary—
a calendar of death—
Agincourt, Afghanistan
Boer, Balkan
Civil, Crimean.

The ABCs of war.
As quotidian as a child
reciting.

War feeds our spirit
even as we feign fear of its
fathomless history.

EJD
Feb 24, 2023
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