An Anniversary of War EJD on June 6, 2023 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