| Call the soldiers back to yourselves you mothers who gave them birth rescue them from the dream they’ve adopted that is a bright dungeon promising glory but bringing the face down in mud legs and lips blown off body riddled with trails of assault rifle bullets they’ve forgotten how to let their souls speak as once with you in warm home the current passing between you and them a fertile river your darlings call them however you pray pray now for the light between you to enlighten an oval enclosing in its glowing hoop bring them back to remember themselves insulated iron men call them rouse by the bells of your voices (unless you still believe the lie) say the secret word the powerhouse exclamation the electric verbs propelling back to where their spark like a lantern renewed grows again help them restore minds from the foreign sway of unconsciousness they are absolved when they answer the call you supply from your sacred reservoir the wars collapse like houses of cards hollowed out buildings demolished by a breath This poem is the title piece in a new book of poetry by Gregory Alexander. I'm pleased to have read several of the other poems as well. Here is a link to where you can find his book, 'Call them home'. - prh, ed. Gregory Alexander has been a poet since the age of 13. He studied English and World Literature at Middlebury College, the University of California at Berkeley, and Columbia University. He lived on the West Coast for 19 years, and earned his doctorate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Oregon in 1984. Since then, he has been living on Long Island, New York, where he worked as a staff psychologist in a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital for 25 years. He is currently in private practice. |