by Justin Lee
it’s easy to turn away from a war
when your sink is full and your wallet’s barren
your children screaming at you for more,
when the soil across the water’s edge to earth’s core
brims blood, but see that the sunflowers still bloom
so you turn your focus to the daily chores
digging a trench of laundry - linen, wools -
covering the ground with elegies lasting seconds
of the father and son standing in a fog
so thick they can’t see the stars
your children speaking a stranger’s tongue at school,
houses becoming a shore no news can reach
are we that cruel -
or is it that easy to turn away from a war
when the land and its people
are not your own
Justin Lee is a senior at Nevada State High School. He is the editor-in-chief for his school's newspaper, and his work has been published or is forthcoming in 3Elements Review, Blue Marble Review, Eunoia Review, and others. When he isn't writing, Justin is either sketching or eating obscene amounts of peanut butter straight from the jar.