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I deserve to live said the girl. The bomb is falling from such a height it could be a seed blown from a dandelion surfing the stratosphere. I am just a girl said the girl I have barely begun to live and I’d very much like to keep doing it. Everyone wants to keep living said the bomb but what have you done to deserve it? Convince me you’re worthy and maybe I’ll fall somewhere else. The bomb is nearer now olive shaped and heartless as gravity. I don’t want you to fall somewhere else said the girl you could crush my cousins my neighbors the hospital the school. Oh says the bomb. It is a fist now. Would you rather I turn back and fall upon your enemies? No said the girl No I do not wish you to fall upon anyone anywhere at all. Can’t you turn into a cloud? The bomb is quite close and suddenly so much bigger. You could say it’s the size of a girl. Ah says the bomb I see now you are guiltless and kind and clearly you deserve to live but the problem is you were born in the wrong place at the wrong time and I cannot stop falling for you.
LaDonna Witmer is writing for herself after a couple of decades spent writing for other people (journalist, copywriter, editorial director). She has a poem forthcoming in a 2024 anthology from Flipped Mitten Press. Back in her slam poetry youth, she published three chapbooks and had a handful of poems printed in various zines. She writes prose at wordsbyladonna.substack.com and is 2/5 of the way through writing a memoir about her fundamentalist upbringing.
See you at AWP!
2/7 / Meet the Artist with visiting poet-in-residence Farnaz Fatemi / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 6:00 pm EST / Free
2/7 / Poetry Reading with visiting poet-in-residence Farnaz Fatemi + local writer Fabienne Josaphat / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7:30 pm EST / Free
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Heart-wrenching poems that I wish every person in power would read. Every day until they make peace.
So skillful. So moving.