"Heartland"
By Lani Hankins
My heart weeps at the sight of tides
That tell a story, millions of years old,
Of the grass
Of the limestone
Of the hills
Of all that once was, that is now lost
My soul longs for a past long gone
When this was a place of death
And rebirth
And growth
And fire
And untamed roots that dug deep into the earth
My spirit is restless because it recognizes
That this is the place it's meant to be, but
The grass is gone
The limestone sold
The hills collapsing
The plains no longer what they were, for I've come too late
Lani Hankins is a former Army female engagement team member and a veteran of Afghanistan. Follow her here. Listen to the Savage Wonder episode with her here.
She blogs and podcasts at Kruse Corner.
Bunny: Poems About Surviving Military Life by Lani Hankins
Bottled Away: Confessions of a Struggling Veteran by Lani Hankins
The Gaslit Heart: A Story of Service and Survival by Lani Hankins
Eased Pain: Poems About Surviving Domestic Violence by Lani Hankins
What’s happening at VetRep…
Tickets are going fast for our July Show! VetRep is proud to present Death Before Dress Rehearsal, a selection of seven 10-minute plays from the winners and finalists of our playwriting competitions. Denis Meadows’ poignantly thrilling A Brush Against the Indifference of the Universe, Arianna Rose’s funny Sex, Lies & Syrofoam, Richard Fouts’ madcap comedy Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, Jack Rushton’s provocative George’s Radio, Terry Glaser’s Greek myth-turned-film noir The Big Dark, Donald Ranard’s thoughtful Elbow.Apple.Carpet.Saddle.Bubble, and VetRep Artist-in-Residence Daniel Guyton’s absurdist Service for None. Get your tickets here before they sell out!
Welcome to our newest Resident Artist, Francisco Martinezcuello! Follow him here, learn more about his writing here.
Listen to our interview this week with Army Ranger and Author, Jason Kasper on the Savage Wonder Podcast.
We are currently offering multiple dates for our online and in-person Playwriting for Veterans classes, and our Acting for Beginners class is now being offered weekly every Saturday from 10am-12pm. Scholarships for qualifying veterans, as well as multi-class passes are available. Registration details can be found here.