Thom Young

AMERICA

america has sunshine
I never wanted
it has oceans
and
women that aren't on its mountains
it has television sets
of sad lives
and sometimes they're on repeat
and repeat all over again.
it has birds that don't sing
my song
and if you're lost
maybe you’ll find
me too.


Gerald So reads "America":



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Thom confesses: "I had this image of Mt. Rushmore and just ran with it."

THOM YOUNG is a writer from Texas. His work has been in PBS Newshour, the Wall Street Journal, the Oxford Review, and over a hundred literary journals. A 2008 Million Writers Award and 2016 Pushcart Prize nominee.

Thom Young

WAR

daughters
to war
left right left
equal pay
equals equal death
some went for glory
some went for pride
but all went for something
a beautiful lie
you're all welcome
the sandbox
is open
while the
war drums beat
left right left


Gerald So reads "War":



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Thom confesses: "I saw a feature on women in combat and the discussion of reinstating the draft. It seemed like an interesting topic to try and write a poem about, so I ran with it and like most of my poems I wrote it off the top of my head. I liked the idea of using imagery and picking a side on the issue but also letting the reader decide for themselves. I used some repetition with a 'military cadence' to add that kind of visual imagery and think it came together pretty good."

THOM YOUNG is a writer from Texas. His work has been in Poetry Quarterly, The Commonline Journal, 3am magazine, Crack the Spine, Word Riot, 48th Street Press, and many other places. He was a 2016 Pushcart Prize Nominee.