Survivor’s Lament they came in grey uniforms and blackened boots they raided the granaries set fields to burn relished scents of scorched corn and emaciated horses they ate our food they came with faces grim set their hearts pewtered and stoned they manured the wells razed the houses blindfolded the men for pleasure tortured the boys they ate our food they came with no memories of kin nor loved ones aching their return they tormented dogs and cats lusted young girls rained sky-bullets and demanded we dance they ate our food they came with focal intent one-eyed wildebeests they plundered and crushed they badgered the decrepit forced us to imbibe the blood of the dying they sprouted forehead-horns grew long forked tails skins glowed sickly-red still they ate we could not help the haggard we could not protect nor shelter nor feed you our darlings our maimed sad darlings we the ones left we exist despite the horrors the hell the hunger mothers and nurturers we are only in name Joanne Godley Godley’s poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Pratik, Mantis, The Bellevue Review, FIYAH, among others. She is a member of the Poetry Witch Community. She is an Anaphora Arts Fellow in poetry and fiction. Her second poetry chapbook, Doc.X, was recently published by Black Sunflowers Press.
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The Ekphrastic Review
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February 2025
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