“Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac…
We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. If liberty means anything at all,
it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act…” - George Orwell

Poetry and art are often thought of as metaphors, as facsimiles of the truth. But, as we are so painfully reminded of in the current strife, truth may be even more subjective than art. What one person sees as the core of the matter may be irrelevant to the next. After news spread this past week of a US military tomahawk missile striking an Iranian school, President Trump claimed he knew nothing of the strike. His statement, though, has no bearing on the actual passage of events. And it will be no consolation to the families of the children killed and injured by the missile. As George Orwell said, it becomes the duty of all intelligent people to repeat the obvious, ad nauseam. Thank you for continuing to send us your poetry and art. Though the points you make are obvious, they are of the utmost importance. Be safe, be well, and a prayer for peace for all. From Zach Charles, Co-Editor

See POSTon FactCheck.org, A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Much Ado About Something

By Becca Lavin
See the paired poem below, Battle Scars are Beautiful