Second Coming No. 563 — August 5, 2026
A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by Donald Trump and his fascist regime
Leonard St-Aubin
Revelation
Missiles come in like locusts
across border lands,
not swarmed on the winds,
no, swarmed by distant humans,
and like locusts, they destroy
their destined targets,
but not with sharp mandibles
that grind crops to pulp,
no, with shrapnel that explodes
in pre-formed fragments,
of metal efficiency,
designed with intent
to maximize lethal impact
through buildings, bunkers,
and through flesh and bone;
they leave behind not razed fields
but razed cities, streets
homes, hospitals and schools,
and inchoate rage,
uncontrollable,
hot, to be channeled,
in retaliation,
with outcomes predictable,
—death and famine—
and unpredictable
—a revelation—
for would-be conquerors,
now slaves to circumstance
of war beyond their control,
but not peace,
no, never peace.
Leonard St-Aubin‘s stories and poems have appeared in The Hoolet’s Nook, RED, and Bywords, as well as in the anthology Fiona: Prince Edward Island Accounts of Canada’s Biggest Storm (Pownal Street Press, 2023). A Canadian poet and writer, he divides his time between Ottawa, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island.
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A difficult but admirable read.