We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky

We Lived Happily During the War

by Ilya Kaminsky

from the book, Deaf Republic, published by Graywolf Press, 2019

And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

protested but not enough, we opposed them but not

enough. I was in my bed, around my bed America

was falling: invisible house by invisible house by invisible house.

I took a chair outside and watched the sun.

In the sixth month of a disastrous reign in the house of money

in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money, our great country of money, we (forgive us)

lived happily during the war.