like ocean waves
we’ve gotten used to the noise
it’s like anything else
crickets or cluster bombs or cicadas
the conflict was supposed to be
over by now
but as time goes by you come
to realize
war is never over
no matter the place or time
the world will follow you
in all its glory & destruction
implanting you here
uprooting you there
the festivals & the troubles
rolling over themselves
like ocean waves
august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
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