DECISION

I am angry at my hands for failing to erect even
one dome over a single city. Bombs would go tink
as they bounce off its shiny surface & disappear
into thin air. I am angry at my arms for thinking
they can’t reach around the world to carry even
one stretcher with a bleeding teen to doctors who
could save her. I am angry at my lips for refusing
to open wide enough to sing siren songs to lull
the sailors of destruction to sleep on the decks
of their fierce ships. I shall rake the brittle leave
of autumn, build a tall mound of dry dusty bits
in the corner of my yard against the fence,
finger the matches in my pocket, decide
whether to light the whole thing on fire

Diane Silver is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and essayist who publishes the Poetry & Life newsletter and podcast. (DianeSilver.Substack.com). Her work has appeared in Ms, The Progressive, The Lavender Review, and many other publications. Her books include the Daily Shot of Hope meditation series. “Decision” is the first poem in a sonnet crown Diane recently completed.