Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Coward Hall of Fame


Coward Hall of Fame
by Carl Nyberg

I nominate John Forbes Kerry
For the Coward Hall of Fame

The man who asked,
"How do you ask a man to be
"The last to die for a mistake?"

Became the politician who voted for the mistake
Iraq was not an "imminent threat"
Bush lied
The lie was obvious

But Kerry thought he needed to prove himself
To get elected President
What did he have to prove?
To whom?

He showed me who he was
More ambitious than honorable
John Forbes Kerry had the opportunity
To speak against the mistake
But his ambition to be President
To represent the military contractors
To the people
Was too great
A hole in his soul
A man without honor
I nominate John Forbes Kerry
To the Coward Hall of Fame

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

introduction and four poems: Truth, Machine and Thank You For Your Service I & II

My name is Carl Nyberg. I'm a Navy veteran, 1985-96 who was recently invited to contribute to this blog.

I am from Chicago. I participated in the Warriors Writers workshop held at University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee on April 6 led by Lovella & Michael. (Thanks for the ride, Sabrina.)

Since attending the workshop I have found myself writing poems. I'm thankful that I've been invited to contribute to this blog. I hope to get some useful feedback on poems.

  • Which are as good as they are going to get?
  • Which can be improved?
  • Which have pieces that should be salvaged?
  • Which metaphors work?
  • Which should be kept personal?

Below the fold are some that came from the workshop directly.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

The Mission Continues is recruiting for their Charlie Fellowship class. The Fellowship consists of establishing three quantifiable goals and committing 20 hours a week for six months to realize said goals. Benefits include a monthly living stipend, a large nationwide network of veteran leaders, and leadership curriculum.

If anyone is interested in completing a Fellowship with The Mission Continues and utilizing Warrior Writers as their community service host, please start the process with The Mission Continues online asap and let us know you are applying. If accepted by The Mission Continues, you must then complete an application with Warrior Writers.

Below is a link to the application and attached is a description of the Fellowship. Warrior Writers is specifically looking for veterans who want to be Charlie fellows, deadline is May 6 and Fellowship dates are mid-July - mid-August. We are looking for Fellows in Philadelphia and NYC who will serve as Veteran Outreach Coordinators. We may consider other cities, contact us to discuss details.

Contact us at info@warriorwriters.org