I can burn the pictures, but not the poems / since I published them in books, which are on shelves / in libraries and in people's homes.
-Denise Duhamel, "Old Love Poems " from Issue 11
Adam Sol is the author of three books of poetry, including Jeremiah, Ohio, a novel in poems which was shortlisted for Ontario's Trillium Award for Poetry; and Crowd of Sounds, which won the award in 2004. He teaches at Laurentian University's campus in Barrie, Ontario, and lives in Toronto with his wife and three sons.
Engagement
The young man knows he's going to die today, but he's wrong.
The other young man figures the army is the best way to improve his life, but he's wrong.
They both think their weapons will protect them, but they're wrong.
They both believe their prayers will help.
Their commanders have intentions and intelligence, but they're wrong.
We've heard the story before. It's wrong.
The news will document it, but it will be wrong.
The war on terror, the war on Islam, the clash of civilizations.
The explosion will exceed the necessity of the occasion.
The exchange of fire will be unbalanced.
The response will be disproportionate.
The reporter is factually incorrect, theoretically misinformed, morally reprehensible.
The clear typeface and perfect binding are misleading.
The reader is uncomfortably and inappropriately implicated.
The tranquil mind is insufficient to the task.
The young men, necks dirty and damp, advance.
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