When you hear your first poem,
it will come to you as a song
easy to repeat, bringing
rhyme and rhythm into the room.
But it can also come back to you
as a song when you’re marching
into battle trying hard not to die.
That poem is a distraction,

helping you step over body parts
and believe that the puddles of blood
are just part of the soil.

Vincent Bell grew up in NYC and has a BS and MA from NYU and an MBA from Fordham. In late 2021 Vincent’s full-length poetry book “Gut Renovations” was published by Kelsay Books. His poetry also has appeared in upstreet 16, PANK, The Ravens Perch, and Mudfish 21 among others.