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John Short

Playing Soldiers

Our armies are lined up:
facing off across the carpet,
generals on fine horses
presiding from behind the ranks.
My uncle launches an attack:
sends his infantry forward
then scatters them dead
across no-man’s land
for dramatic effect.
They die so easily, I think.
handfuls of cheap life
sacrificed in the war zone.
Later, watching TV
we get news from Vietnam.
I know Hai Phong sounds funny,
he says, but don’t snigger.
Imagine those bombs
were falling on you
and me and Grandma?
Then he teaches me chess moves,
castles, kings and queens
the truth that mounted knights
were really not romantic.

Biography

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John Short spent years in southern Europe and now lives in Liverpool, UK. Widely published in magazines such as South Bank Poetry, The High Window, Envoi, The Blue Nib, London Grip, Sarasvati and Poetry Salzburg, he was a Pushcart nominee in 2018. His pamphlet Unknown Territory (Black Light Engine Room Press) is out this month, and his collection Those Ghosts (Beaten Track Publishing) will appear later this year. Check out his blog at ​johnshort.poetry.blog
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  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors List
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    • Contact
  • Press
  • Issues
    • Issue 49
    • Issue 48
    • Issue 47
    • Issue 46
    • Issue 45
    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
    • Issue 42
    • Issue 41
    • Issue 40
    • Issue 39
    • Issue 38
    • Issue 37
    • Issue 36
    • Issue 35
    • Issue 34
    • Issue 33
    • Issue 32
    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions