May 2022
EDITOR'S NOTE
Dear Community,
The following is taken from the television show "M.A.S.H." I remember watching this episode when it first ran and being struck at the philosphy lesson in what was a comedy (most of the time.) Hawkeye Pierce was responding to the comment "War is Hell."
Hawkeye: War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure that, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them — little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
This month's optional theme "What has war meant to you?" brought some excellent poems about the effects of war on us all. It seems we are never without a war somewhere - Cold War, War on Drugs, War on Terror, all of the geographically named wars, and the "war to end all wars" which obviously didn't. Conflict is used as a metaphor for many aspects of life and relationships. At times it seems we know much more about conflict than we do about peace. In my mind, peace has to start within each of us. If we are at war with ourselves, we will never be at peace with others.
Whether they are poems about war or poems about life, I hope you will read carefully through this issue and respond to the authors whose poems move you. If you are so inclined, you may also send a batch of comments to comments4vv@gmail.com to be shared with the entire community.
Submission guidelines have been updated. Please review them before sending your work. Submissions for June open on May 1 and close on May 10. There is no theme for June, though I anticipate some poems on "father." If you choose that topic, remember that sentimentality is not a substitute for quality. Send me the good stuff.
Jim
The following is taken from the television show "M.A.S.H." I remember watching this episode when it first ran and being struck at the philosphy lesson in what was a comedy (most of the time.) Hawkeye Pierce was responding to the comment "War is Hell."
Hawkeye: War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure that, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them — little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
This month's optional theme "What has war meant to you?" brought some excellent poems about the effects of war on us all. It seems we are never without a war somewhere - Cold War, War on Drugs, War on Terror, all of the geographically named wars, and the "war to end all wars" which obviously didn't. Conflict is used as a metaphor for many aspects of life and relationships. At times it seems we know much more about conflict than we do about peace. In my mind, peace has to start within each of us. If we are at war with ourselves, we will never be at peace with others.
Whether they are poems about war or poems about life, I hope you will read carefully through this issue and respond to the authors whose poems move you. If you are so inclined, you may also send a batch of comments to comments4vv@gmail.com to be shared with the entire community.
Submission guidelines have been updated. Please review them before sending your work. Submissions for June open on May 1 and close on May 10. There is no theme for June, though I anticipate some poems on "father." If you choose that topic, remember that sentimentality is not a substitute for quality. Send me the good stuff.
Jim