We scrolled through cyber light relentlessly
for news of the war across the ocean.
It came to us in real time on live feeds
so we knew seconds after it happened
when the soldier yelled go fuck yourself
before standing in the middle
of the bridge then blowing it up.
We reached for coffee, or apples, or clicked
a different tab, or clicked watch again.
We marvelled, or recoiled, or wept,
or never gave it a second thought,
or we thought about it all day long–
the wild resistance, the monument of smoke.
Jessica Ratigan is a poet, teacher, and mother. She received her MFA from New York University’s Creative Writing Program in 2007. Her work has appeared in Blackbird, McSweeney’s, and other journals. Most recently was selected to participate in "Poetry on the Trail,” a poetry installation along the Elizabeth River Trail in Norfolk, Virginia. She teaches English and Creative Writing in Hampton, Virginia.