Two Poems
GenerationalOpen the bays and we fall togetheras in archival footagefrom last generation’s warwe shift inside our tumblingthe air hitting useach a little differentlythere’s comfort in thiscollectivity we’ll landtogether more or lessour impacts giving offtiny globes of lightbecoming one lightsoundless to the pilotsthe bombardierswherever they’ve goneThe HumanistWhen he rose before the jury of his peershe knew he had arrived at the endgameof his belief, mirror against mirror,and when they read to him his crimes—his betrayal of the time’sconsensus—he saw he would be folded into the bodyof the human story. He would bejudged and found guiltyof elevating men to this very position of judgment.The loneliest person on earthis a humanist condemned. When the pyrewas lit, it bloated the squarewith light—the light his body fed.(Later the guards cleaned up in darkness.We have no record of what they said.)
Feature Date
- March 13, 2018
Series
Selected By
Share This Poem
Print This Poem
Copyright © 2017 by Wayne Miller
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission
Fall/Winter 2017
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington & Jefferson College
Editor-in-Chief / Executive Director
George David Clark
Managing Editor
Elisabeth Clark
Printed twice a year (in July and December) and distributed internationally with subscribers in over twenty countries, each issue includes 32 shorter poems. This minimalist focus has fostered an intimate and intensive reading experience since 2002, when Deborah Ager and John Poch founded the journal as an alternative to larger and less-selective literary magazines.
In its fifteen years, 32 Poems has showcased many of the most-recognized poets writing in English, including Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and MacArthur Genius Grant winners, Poets Laureate, and recipients of the other major honors in American letters.
Poetry Daily Depends on You
With your support, we make reading the best contemporary poetry a treasured daily experience. Consider a contribution today.