Children of Aleppo by Chard deNiord

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend January 25, 2017   Children of Aleppo   Chard deNiord

The children were asking a thousand questions about why the sky was blue and grass was green when suddenly their tongues were stilled by an answer they never saw. Now silence rings in their place so loud a stone can hear it in Arkansas. So why not the men inside the sky who only hear the roar beneath their wings that rip the clouds? Who believe the distance is theirs for the way it turns the heavens into a high of feeling nothing at all? In which they have everywhere to turn as excellent pilots—really superb—with nowhere to go.            Copyright © 2017 Chard deNiord. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "After reading several recent news stories about the targeted air strikes on schools, homes, and hospitals in the rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo, Syria, I felt compelled to write a poem about these horrific war crimes, focusing specifically on the hundreds of child casualties that have resulted from these bombings." —Chard deNiord   Chard deNiord is the author of Interstate (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015). He lives in Westminster West, Vermont.   Photo credit: Liz Hawkes DeNiord Poetry by deNiord   Interstate (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015) "The War After the War" by Debora Greger "In the Sanatorium" by Anya Silver "War Music [Down on your knees, Achilles]" by Christopher Logue Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. If you enjoy Poem-a-Day, please consider making a donation to help make it possible. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038