On the forced march
from Tientsin to Woosung,
our Marines, ordered silent—
no humming or singing
snapped the Japanese,
as the men trudged
a hundred miles to prison.
My father, not humming,
the whole of four winters,
or to my knowledge, since.
Author’s Note: (First published in Joy Street, Headmistress Press).
Laura Foley is the author of four poetry collections including The Glass Tree, which won the Foreword Book of the Year Award, and Joy Street, which won the Bi-Writer’s Award. Her poems have appeared in journals and magazines including Valparaiso Poetry Review, Atlanta Review, Inquiring Mind, Pulse Magazine, Weatherings, Poetry Nook, Lavender Review, The Mom Egg Review, and many others. www.laurafoley.net.
A Quiet Courage 