NVN Monday: 2 poems grieving
“And It Shall Come to Pass” by Kai Thigpen and “Do We Not Bleed?” by Nolan Dannels
AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS
a pantoum
by Kai Thigpen
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Kai Thigpen is a white, non-binary, Jewish poet and therapist serving primarily LGBT+ communities. They live on occupied Lenni Lenape land, in Philadelphia, with their partner and two fluffy cats. Kai's poetry chapbook, habitat, is available from Illuminated Press.
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DO WE NOT BLEED?
by Nolan Dannels
Painting (1886) by John Everett Millais of Kate Dolan as Portia.
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“Though justice be thy plea, consider this: That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy …” — Portia, Act IV, Scene 1, from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
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The kids caught in the crossfire never stood a chance— they just stood there, wrong place, wrong time, and we didn’t do a thing, just let them die as we chose a side, as if it were a color in a world of black and white that we should have let be blue and green But who would we be to dream of peace when we don’t stand in the way of the war— the innocent plead, we ignore, so how can they have hope anymore? And who would we be to feel a thing? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you hurt us, do we not grieve? And if you don’t listen to us, do we still speak? Air raids and bombs… guns and hate— this is neither the beginning nor the end And it will only get worse if we wait We’ll see soon enough even if we are blind now, but our hands will be slow on the draw, too little, too late: we only do good when the bad has already died down Where will the refugees go when their camps are attacked before they can even cry out? Which way will the world turn when the sun sets on the other side than the one it does right now? I wish I knew the answers, and I wish I could say them loud and clear, but I can only beg, vocal cords torn, for a fair and just end to the conflict But I can only see it getting worse from day to day and year to year Yet, who would I be to say a thing? If you spit in my eyes, can I still see? If you put me in chains, can I be free? And if you tear out my tongue, can I still speak? But who are we to be in need? If you chase us, do we not flee? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you prick us, do we not bleed? whether our tears are true if they can never leave If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you prick us, do we not bleed? whether we’re white and blue or red, white, black, and green
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Nolan Dannels is a Persian American poet/musician with a Master's in English Language and Literature from the University of Edinburgh. He is currently a Literature PhD candidate, specializing in modern and contemporary Anglophone poetry at the University of California, San Diego, where he served as the Editor in Chief of Alchemy, Journal of Translation. His poetry and music appear in Kissing Dynamite, Trouvaille Review, Wine Cellar Press, Wishbone Words, Snakeskin Poetry Webzine, and Hare's Paw Literary Journal.