i am a poet

i am a poet

i am a poet to reclaim the ravages of war
to amplify the human heartbeat in the chest of the enemy
to remind the soldier that he once was a child who dissolved into sobs
at the death of a dog

i am a poet to reclaim the ravages of war
rained by one race, one religion on another
sometimes between nations
sometimes within them
i cut all skins and mingle the red blood indistinguishable on the page
i fuse all prayers into one chant of longing for a justice, a goodness
that yet eludes us

i am a poet to reclaim the ravages of war
to pluck the child from beneath the bruising arm of rage
to pluck the woman from the path of rape’s intruding missile
to hold them up in sundrenched mist where they can sparkle golden
and untarnished as the day they burst this world a breath of god

i am a poet to reclaim humanity from the ravages of war
not to count the casualties but to heal them

i am a poet and my task is immense
i cannot do it alone
but an army of poets can kiss the world awake


mary oishi

Audio version on the CD "kiss the world awake" produced by Poetry Television
Video version on the upcoming film, Word, previewed at the 2005 National Poetry Slam