On the Ground

My father was a soldier

who was smaller than my son

when he returned as a ghost.

I begged him to stay with us

but he said: "Not until you come to life."

-from "[Untitled]"

Fanny Howe's bold new collection responds to the contrast between American imperialist goals and the realities of life lived "on the ground." While our minds are preoccupied with the war games on television, we go on li...