Kristine Iredale
On Hearing of a New War
After Richard Hugo
I've been dreaming of slaughter,
seeing the same bewildered face
of a fellow soldier staring at nothing
besides a pile of rubble.
In which war really doesn't matter:
The American Revolution, Civil, Vietnam,
even the Hundred Years' War. Even
now, I dream of the Iraq desert.
Remember the lie: no impact, no idea.
The bullets always find a destination
as do the drones with their bombs.
Recall only the dead see the end of war.
Whereas you and I are very much alive.
Bio
Kristine Iredale is a poet and Iraq War veteran based in Washington State. Her work explores memory, grief, service, and the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Her poems have appeared in university literary journals, and she continues to build a body of work centered on witness, place, and quiet resilience.