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War Poetry

Submitted by Bert on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:19am.

Photo from Arlington Northwest
Poetry by Iraq Soldier, Brian Turner

More information about Turner's collection of poems on the publisher, Alice James Books' website: Here, Bullet, a collection of Iraq war poems by soldier-poet Brian Turner.

Ashbah
by Brian Turner

The ghosts of American soldiers
wander the streets of Balad by night,
unsure of their way home, exhausted,
the desert wind blowing trash
down the narrow alleys as a voice
sounds from the minaret, a soulfull call
reminding them how alone they are,
how lost. And the Iraqi dead,
they watch in silence from rooftops
as date palms line the shore in silhouette,
leaning toward Mecca when the dawn wind blows.

source: Iraq Soldier Describes War in Poetry [NPR]

Bert's blog
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