by Lynn White
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| US Army Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, steps on board a C-17 transport plane as the last US service member to leave Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photograph: Us Army/Reuters via The Guardian, August 31, 2021 |
When she saw the green lights
her first thoughts were of Triffids.
Of course she knew they were imaginary
but was less sure about the green lights
which enabled their freedom,
an unintended consequence
of the activity
of some government or other,
a terrifying aftermath.
And who knew what the aftermath
of this green sky would be.
She could still see them
glowing above her.
So, not yet blind,
she thought.
But then, she reconsidered.
Metaphorically speaking
perhaps we were all blinded
a long time ago
when the green light was given
to the Triffids
who are already rampaging.
We just haven’t noticed yet,
such is our loss of sight.
Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality and writes hoping to find an audience for her musings. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud 'War Poetry for Today' competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Peach Velvet, Light Journal and So It Goes.