A poem to disturb

[Gabrielle Dean]

We Lived Happily During the War - Ilya Kaminsky (b.1977)

 

And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

protested
but not enough, we opposed them but not

enough. I was
in my bed, around my bed America

was falling: invisible house by invisible house 

by invisible house.

 

I took a chair outside and watched the sun.

 

In the sixth month
of a disastrous reign in the house of money

 

in the street of money in the city of money in the 

country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)

 

lived happily during the war.

Ilya Kaminsky (b.1977) is a Ukrainian-American poet, critic, and translator. He was born in Odessa and came to the United States in 1993. His collection Deaf Republic was a finalist for the National Book Award. This poem is from the Poetry International website, 2013. https://www.journeywithjesus.net/poemsandprayers/4081-we-lived-happily-during-the-war