Why is it "at" war?
To me, "at" implies a position in space,
a destination—Disneyland
after a road trip. An arrival.
"At" also implies time:
"Meet you there at half past war."
Is that the rate we're at now? Twice a day?
Do broken clocks
in pentagonal & oval offices
indicate "at war" all of the time?
Why not "going through"?
Like going through puberty,
something everyone hopes we'll grow out of?
Like going through the terrible twos.
Going through implies a place beyond,
an exit at the far end of the tunnel—
hold your breath until we're out.
Why not "suffering from"
as with a mental illness?
"If you or someone you know is suffering from war, seek help.
Do not suffer alone."
"Suffering from" implies we're sick,
in need of diagnosis, treatment,
rating our pain on a scales
from 1 to 10.
Instead, we're "at" war.
And here we find ourselves.
Again.
About the Creator
Tyler Clark (they/them)
I am a writer, poet, and cat parent from California. My short stories and poems have been published in a chaotic jumble of anthologies, collections, and magazines.
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Troll Warning
Do not feed the trolls; they are very insecure in their identities as trolls. In troll society, troll-ness is tied directly to troll status and troll self-worth. Therefore, a troll must constantly find ways to reassert his troll-ness, thus establishing his place in troll hierarchy, and bolstering his self-confidence as a troll.
By Tyler Clark (they/them)2 months ago in Poets
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