War feeds on childhood:
it makes fear a game,
it claims safe spaces, corners of homes
its tongue slithers down corridors, digesting
rooms, toys and all. It listens at the edge of
town, hears ragged breath huddled in closets
or outside in tall grass, camouflaged under trees
on bent knees. In a central square, it catches
whole building blocks, taking pets too.
War is a sore loser, winner-takes-all player
clearing away every sign of growth,
no matter if in an abandoned place. It's hidden
in the minds of men who never understood
the rules and have forgotten the dreams of a child.
TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Erzinger’s poetry collection “At the Foot of the Mountain,” (Floricanto Press 2021), won the University of Indianapolis, Etchings Press Whirling Prize 2021 for best nature poetry book. Her poetry collection “Tourist” (Sea Crow Press 2023) was released in April.