fire works?
by Dario Cvencek
across the world
children are going insane
from never-ending explosions
and they die from bombs
dropped on them
in droves
at home we are
getting ready to
celebrate the most
American of all
holidays and
we buy small
explosive devices
for our children
to play with
they have violent
military names like
“predator drones”
“booby traps”
or “epic black
box artillery”
we simulate
explosions and
bombs to our children
and we laugh while
they go off
and our children
laugh with us
that’s the world
we live in
nowadays:
some children
are growing up
in an active
combat zone
and some just
pretend play war
but there are
explosions
everywhere
explosions are
as real as
apple pie
sometimes
the children die
from those
explosions
and sometimes
the explosions
make children
giddy with
excitement
and our $$$ pay
for all of it
$$$ for the bombs
$$$ for the fireworks
maybe this Fourth of July
we don’t buy our
children fireworks
or firecrackers?
maybe we give them
candles instead?
and help them light those up
one candle for each
of their peers
across the world
who will never
be giddy or
excited
again
for each exploded bomb
let’s light a
silent
candle
and
make this world
that much quieter
for a moment
that much less
of a battleground
maybe then
when the skies
are dark and noiseless
we can focus on what’s
around us and not
distract ourselves
with shiny lights
and colorful clatter
while the world
we live in cries
for justice
and screams
for peace
Photo of Dario Cvencek
BIO: Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. He started writing poetry in high school, inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee of war and an immigrant in Germany and the United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, identity, gun violence, immigration, nature, and love. His work has appeared in Rising Phoenix Review, Ambrosia Zine, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Ancient Tech News, Beyond Words Magazine, ANARKISS Magazine, The Split Mind, and others. “PTSD Martini” (Carbonation Press, 2025) is his first full-length collection of poetry. He lives and works in Seattle, WA.