The Šķēde Beach massacre in Latvia, December 1941 (public domain)

and does it even matter?

by

John J. Dunphy

micro-organisms,

distant galaxies

and us –

all cast members in a play.

but who wrote it,

why

and for what audience?

is the script ever revised

or are we stuck with

the original words

in perpetuity?

John J. Dunphy’s poetry collections include Old Soldiers Fading Away, Zen Koanhead, Touching Each Tree, pagan rites, Bullet Cluster, Stellar Possibility and Dark Nebulae. He is also the author of non-fiction works such as Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials: The Investigative Work of the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group, 1945–1947.