2018 / poetry / author

TRACY POWERS

 

THE FIELD

This rescue will not come with a roar in the air
No pounding theme song, no red crosses on the sides of muddy vans
As they leave deep tracks upon the earth;
Tattered tents won't dot the untamed landscape
The clang of brass shells nonexistent on blood-shed ground

Instead – the silent soldier's fingertip glides across the battlefield
Down the rim of a nose hill
Stealthily moving upon the curves, valleys, and skirmishes
Of his right bicep
Tracing, exploring the scenery
Across colorful decorations, burned in ink on the lay of the land
Her touch skillfully defuses the minefield
One by one, fuses broken
Thread by thread, healed
Feeling the breath of life rise and fall
Near the center of her world

The Soldier then closes her weary, blissful eyelids
Rests her head in gentle victory
Of a battle won, but a war so far ahead
While a cool, steady wind blows around the skin of these bunkermates
Quiet napalm, powerful silence

 
 

TRACY POWERS lives in Oak Ridge, TN with her husband and is frequently inspired by the surroundings of her East TN home. Her poems "Woods" and "Vision" were recently featured on the e-journal LiteraryYard.com, and her work “Firestarter” was also featured in the January 2018 edition of Ariel Chart

WHERE TO FIND TRACY POWERS: FIRESTARTER

+BOOKS +POETRY PRIZE +CONTACT


POETS IN MORSE CODE explores the role of interpretation in storytelling. By incorporating Morse Code, one of the most widely used and recognized ciphers in existence, Saiterux juxtaposes lines of poetry against photographs and technical illustrations of flora & fauna from the early days of scientific exploration. Through the text and image pairings, the illustrations lean into the abstract elements of a story, recognizing that storytelling depends on the written word as well as the imagination, experiences, and knowledge each reader brings to the occasion. More from Saiterux