the price

she would have been born
in Virginia
if her great-great grandfather
hadn't been
shot at Appomattox
she would have grown up
in the 50s
if her grandfather's
blood hadn't spilled out
in a muddy trench
in the Verdun
she would have been a
hippie in the 60s
if her father's ship
hadn't gone down
in the South Pacific
she would have been a
wife and soccer mom
if her husband hadn't
been killed in a
southeast asia jungle
she would be a grandmother
if her son hadn't
been hit by an IED
along a dusty road
in Iraq
this is the price
of war

the very different gardens of Eve and Adam*

the woman plants her garden
all in one pot
ivy, grape vines and roses
intertwined on the trellis
withhold water from one
and all will wilt and wither
but a man's garden is planted
in neatly marked out rows
peas in one, tomatoes in another
and beans lined up in a third
should the peas fail to flourish
the beans will still grow
the man will not long for peas
nor forsake tomatoes
for the lack of them
and so it is the same
with men and women
when it comes to
love, intimacy, and sex

*with apologies to both genders for gross generalization