America is a country at war,
not the “buy savings bonds”
“plant a victory garden” type of war,
but a war against
its own people.
Ordinary citizens
are jailed,
deported
for the color of their skin,
mothers are torn from children,
the hungry are left starving,
the sick without healthcare.
Only the wealthy
can live unaffected.
Hints of Germany in the 1930’s
salt the air
Honestly,
no one is safe.
Eventually,
one’s heritage,
blood type,
height,
religious affilation,
sports allegiance
or hometown
will be a marker
for destruction.
There is no rhyme
to the isolation.
America is at war.
*inspiration: We Lived Happily During the War” poem by Ilya Kaminsky
A Reading Life 
No rhyme to the isolation…
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“Only the wealthy can live unaffected.” reminds me of the quote, “The poor pay consequences while the rich pay attorneys.”
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Truth packaged in a powerful poem. Thank you.
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Ughhh I hate how true this is. I am feeling quite uneasy about our upcoming WWII unit…the parallels are so disturbing.
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Heavy and true–war everywhere we look.
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Beth,
I read We Lived Happily During the War last night and penned a poem I titled “Bombing for Peace.” I am constantly trying to find words expressing my outrage and heartbreak, as you clearly are w/ your poem.
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Comment from Glenda Funk. What is going on w/ Word Press?
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Beth, your post has me in tears, a condition I am in regularly these days with worry and panic over the state of our nation. I am shocked that supposedly so many people still think we are headed in a good direction and that the stock market keeps going up? It feels like an alternate reality – and Germany comes to mind again and again.
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So sad, so true. We are in a very scary moment.
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There are so many powerful lines in your poem. Two that stood out to me were “hints of Germany… salt the air” and “not the “buy savings bonds”/“plant a victory garden” type of war”.
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Haunting words weep truth.
“Hints of Germany in the 1930’s
salt the air” When I read your title, I immediately thought Iran. But that is just scratching the surface.
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