"The Cluster Munition"

by Anthony Roberts

War drums used to beat
with a disciplined rhythm 
that summoned warriors
announcing to the world
that man would meet man
as an equal 

The drums now drowned out
by the sound of incoming rounds
that rain down not on armies
but on crowds
called civilian non-combatants
or collateral damage 
depending upon what channel
you’ve gathered around

King spoke of guided missiles and misguided men
we learn now what he knew then
that weakness in the face of aggression
encourages it again and again
that predators wait outside the gate
no matter how much we pretend
staring at our phones in solidarity afraid to defend 
far easier to hashtag each thought and prayer we send

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Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.

Listen to our Savage Wonder episode with him here.

He is the author of the Pushcart Prize-nominated Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.

You can follow him here.

You can see Anthony Roberts live at the Savage Wonder Festival of veterans in the arts on May 29! Have you gotten your tickets yet? Tickets are only FREE until April 1.

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If you give monkeys enough time, can they really write Hamlet? How did Leon Trotsky actually react to finding an axe embedded in his head? What does it take for two strangers to fall in love without screwing it up? Are you having a bad day or are you simply stuck in a "Philadelphia"? The VetRep 2022 season of staged readings kicks off with an evening of fast and funny staged readings featuring the whimsical comedy of David Ives.

Get your Pay What You Can tickets here quickly - remember only 16 seats per performance!