I Ya We

—in the 13th week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

much depends upon the tale we tell ourselves
words have the force of love or turmoil,
they can raise or raze. In fact, the typhoon of
a single letter, incessantly spoken,
can bring down nations

the simplest vertical stroke
 
“I”

or its Russian solo
 
“я”
 
not to mention the tiny bleating duo

“M E”

in the minds of megalomaniacs, or anyone
who stumbles or willingly steps into a cage of mirrors,
can make a hell of countries, churches, schools, families
because “me” loves the taste of power
while “we” does the work of love

Jim, 4/10/22-6/3/22

(“я” Pronunciation: Ya)