​Destruction Revisited, by Mike Goodwin

The Road, by Zack Lobdell (USA) 2023. Click on image for artist site.

​Destruction Revisited 
 
Four years of targeted destruction
followed by a rebuilding of society
and hope for what the future holds
we travel the road through the ruins
repairing the infrastructure of our humanity
slowly returning to a semblance of truth
re-establishing honesty as a virtue
love as a way of interacting
equality as a goal
building with stronger foundations
as after a hurricane
helping each other down the road
until we see the light at the end of the tunnel
as we emerge from the darkness
we see that the light is not hope
but merely the fire of the next battle
nothing has really changed
hope becomes despair
until we can muster our strength
knowing we will rebuild again and again 
and again

Mike Goodwin

Mike Goodwin is a retired high school mathematics teacher who  recently became interested in writing poetry as a result of attending workshops on ekphrastic writing at the local art museum.