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Thursday, January 08, 2026

WHAT REMAINS

by Karen Warinsky




Good was taken out of the world

but goodness remains.

We will stand together

strong as trees

arms linked

hearts synced

a living memory

of all that is good,

all that remains of decency.

 

We will preserve goodness

keep it safe among us

use its weight to break this chain

of unlawful despair,

get out from under

these low hanging clouds

trying to cover us with

foggy confusion.

 

We have seen goodness.

We have lived with goodness,

and though Good was taken

goodness remains.


 

Karen Warinsky is the author of four collections including Dining with War  (2023 Alien Buddha Press), and her new release Beauty & Ashes (Kelsay Books 2025).  An award-winning poet, she is a  Best of the Net nominee and a former finalist of the Montreal International Poetry Contest.  Warinsky coordinates spoken word events in MA and CT under the name Poets at Large. Find her on Facebook or atkarenwarinskypoetry.wordpress.com.