We Lived Happily During the War

Ilya Kaminsky

And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

protested
but not enough, we opposed them but not

enough. I was
in my bed, around my bed America

was falling: invisible house by invisible house by invisible house.

I took a chair outside and watched the sun.

In the sixth month
of a disastrous reign in the house of money

in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)

lived happily during the war.

My Thoughts on The Piece

This piece evoked many feelings within me. As a person who’s always been against war I connected with this poem and the guilt that came along with it. I’ve also felt stuck in a position of doing nothing about an ongoing war and feeling guilty for living comfortably while other people are in danger.