Confusion of the Moment

by John Eivaz
The Waters
Third Place, June 2015
Judged by Lesley Wheeler


Shuffle aimless near ambulances refused
down the road. TV shows overhead of armed
men, and a stand-in school down the road. News
from Gene. Dial 9-1-1, Gene. Who was harmed?

The deceased interviewed. Parents allude,
accept corpses kept in the moldy school
till after dark, yet never saw, nor sued.
Then move, disappear, retire, preclude

meaning. Asbestos too is gone, but non-
disclosure remains. Grave silence. On air
they act. Did they lose a daughter, a son
somewhere? Dashcams show diddly. Statements swear

hundreds escaped. Footage of cops, lunching.
Folks milling round down the road. Me hunching.


The closing couplet of this sonnet is powerful. Like this poet, I wish verse could bring order to a violent world. The best it can do, most of the time, is channel our hope for peace and human connection. --Lesley Wheeler