THE BOMB

E. D. Watson

May 16, 2022

when i try to think about the bomb 

i can’t— 

thoughts rise and scatter like flakes 

of burned pages 

when I try to talk about the bomb

the words just fry 

not even steam just gone—

my mouth stills

not the stillness of sleep

but the stillness of not

wherein no one speaks chatter dispersed

falling soft as ash, as snow—how

can a mouth say such a thing

without a jaw—

could the wind could a stone? 

ask the dinosaurs if they mattered

ask mars if it misses its clouds

ask me to write a poem about the bomb

you’ll get a silent world in silvertone

you’ll get whatever comes: geologic time,

oblivion

E. D. Watson (she/they) is a poet and certified yoga teacher. Their work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was named winner of the 2021 Able Muse Prize for Poetry. They completed an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University, followed by training from the Institute for Poetic Medicine. Her poetry and yoga workshops are designed to release held language from the body to enhance healing and self-knowledge.