"Illuminated Lies"

By Neville Johnson

Soft-spoken constant words devour me slowly

My resounding poetry filling my mind

These illuminated lies I tell myself

Although I know it to be a mere delusion

Falling slowly, consumed by my insane fantasy

I make things up I want to hear

And avoid the words I need to hear

Burning the midnight oil scribbling my words, my illuminated lies

The lies I tell myself.

---

Neville Johnson is a UK veteran of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. Follow him here. Listen to the Savage Wonder podcast episode with him here.

Sangin, Then and Now by Neville Johnson.

Sweeping Leaves in the Wind, Good Soldiers Don’t Cry, and Alone in a Crowded Room by the Veterans Collective, featuring selections from Neville Johnson.

In Love…&War: The Anthology of Poet Warriors by Dead Reckoning Collective, featuring selections from Neville Johnson.

---

What’s happening at VetRep…

Listen to our latest episode with Stephanie Kline on the Savage Wonder Podcast, where we interview incredibly talented musicians, artists, writers, and theater professionals, who also happen to be veterans.