A Texas Shattering

Milton Jordan

May 29, 2022

If some Word somewhere uttered this world

into being, it mispronounced itself.

Word may have stuttered or lost the grammar

of language, left creation unbalanced,

so we have swung round to destruction

and lost touch with Word’s life-creating presence.

This world has created words of its own,

built itself a life-denying language

more concerned with securing questionable

rights than with saving innocent lives,

avoiding any responsibility,

disregarding Word’s ongoing offer of life.

Milton Jordan lives with Anne in Georgetown, Texas. He is editing a volume of selections from the first year of Texas Poetry Assignment. His collection, A Forest for the Trees, is forthcoming from Backroom Window Press.