by Haya Pomrenze
Sergeant returns as Major.
Fatigues replaced by a peach apron,
Stacking frozen foods on aisle nine.
A dead dog is a newborn.
A flak jacket, a baby carrier.
Rations exchanged for Happy Meals.
A rifle is now a wife’s breast.
A callused palm, a girlfriend’s cunt.
Shallow cries, a whore’s clacking gum.
Armored tanks guised as Ferris wheel pods.
Booms of war, carnival drones.
Mouthfuls of dust, cotton candy wisps.
A platoon leader promoted to produce.
Trigger blisters touching bruised pears.
The imprints of fingers on everything, ghost tips.
Haya Pomrenze’ s first collection, Hook, was nominated for the National Jewish Book Award. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals including 5AM,Rattle, MiPOesias, and Lalitamba. Haya is an occupational therapist who uses poetry as a healing tool with psychiatric patients. She considers herself the founder of the Jewhitsu poetry which is featured in her second collection How It’s Done. She is a second degree black belt in karate.
Hawaii Pacific Review 