After the War

by John Drudge / August 13th, 2023

The damage done
To innocence
A continuous assault
On the senses
The battle cries
Over wars of attrition
And expansion
Black lungs in distress
Buried in fields of glory
Behind shelters
Of make believe
Victim and perpetrator
Mirrors on a merry-go-round
Pathways
Through the rye fields
Crop circles
Shell shocked
By the tones of repetition
In the din between the sheets
Where the secret creatures lie
After the war
In the teetering night

John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of six books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), Fragments (2021), A Long Walk (2023) and Sojourns (2024) . His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. He lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children. Read other articles by John.

This article was posted on Sunday, August 13th, 2023 at 8:03am and is filed under Poetry.