poetry Power of Poetry

California poet Amy Meier wrote this poem in memory of Jacob George, a veteran of 3 tours in Afghanistan whose postwar “moral injury” led him to suicide.

Amy Meier Veterans of life Write
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Power of Poetry

By Amy Meier

Poetry can be

a voice in the wilderness,

the voice of the wilderness,

heartbeat, drumbeat.

Poetry and a microphone

can bring a nation

to attention.

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Poetry can demand

the right to heal,

reject the pretense

of resilience,

untwist the strands

of pride and shame,

honor sacrifice.

Poetry can be

what you make it,

give voice to the ones

who didn’t make it.

Bear witness.

Whatever you

want to say,

poetry can be.

Amy Meier is a poet living in San Jose, CA. In 2015 Amy founded VeteransWrite, a monthly writing group for veterans and their family members. The group has since expanded to include non-military participants in order to bridge the communication gap that may exist between military and non-military. The group has been renamed Veterans of life Write, with the understanding that everyone is a veteran of life, so anyone who wants to join is welcome.