Lili Hornung Speaks
Working in secret at Los Alamos
I, too, was a plutonium
scientist. Brilliant
& cocky, the men’s schemes
were considered first
& desire to end the war
was overwhelming. Like a campfire
in the wilderness my conscience
flickered. With others I
recommended a live spectacle
of the bomb, leaders
of nations would watch
& surely lay down
weapons after witnessing
such power, destruction,
military dominance. No one
seriously considered it.
Lily said, We all carry
some guilt but big boys
like big toys.
22 thoughts on "Lili Hornung Speaks"
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Love the couplets. This one, again is surprisingly current.
“surely lay down
weapons after witnessing
such power, destruction”
Beautiful, powerful Lili
periodically genius.. 😉
for me, this would pack more punch
if it were half as long..
i need ‘cocky’ and ‘toys’
closer knit, to seal the message shut
i also kind of want the word ‘doom’ somewhere as a wink to dominance… or maybe doom as the title..(?)
I would attempt to heavily critique some your poems but they aren’t long enough. Ha!
longer stuff coming in just a few days.. 🙂
looking forward for you to really let me have it!
don’t be such a size queen. hahaah
or… make this 2 times longer… and call it ‘doomscroll’
Earlier I deleted an email, which I thought was discreet, about going after people’s politics or their writing style but to attack them personally crosses the line for me. Then you are being an *sshole. You haven’t done exactly that to me but to others. If you are planning to attacking others or me don’t make it personal. I’m your friend after all and can speak my truth to you.
I’ll get by being “perioically genius” instead of being a gigantic genius.
i hear you… thanks 🙂
i was trying to play with periodic table of element. but might have ‘missed’
Brilliant line breaks. Really enjoyed this one!
Oh that last line. So true, sadly. This is part of a series?
A sequence of poems 🙂
Can’t wait to see the others!
A woman’s common
sense goes unheeded.
The line breaks reflect
the fissure of the Manhattan
project. Maybe they should
have made the movie “Lili”!
(Now that I’m home, l hope
to catch up on your poetry)
I love how this poem inhabits perspective so concisely and artfully. My favorite part: “Like a campfire/in the wilderness my conscience/flickered.”
Wonderful poem, each couplet like a little explosion, powerful ending.
provocative poem, Linda, that guilt we all carry. . .
the images! conscience flickering like a campfire in the wilderness live spectacle of the bomb
keep ’em coming!
Lines like “I, too, was a plutonium”
and
“scientist. Brilliant”
and
“military dominance. No one”
and
“seriously considered it”
There’s a crazed split going on here. It’s almost Multiple. And lines that standalone like Japanese maples. This is top form.
I agree with Bernard and Manny: the enjambment really works here, creating a delicate, off-balance rhythm. I’m sorry to say I didn’t know anything about Hornung. Thanks for introducing me to her!
She wasn’t that her husband Paul Hornig was. I misspelled Lili’s name wrong transposing another name — Hornung. (Paul Horning was a pro football player.) I’m going to post a small poem by Paul Horning tomorrow. He was part of the Manhattan Project. I’m doing some of these smaller poems to keep up with LexPoMo without burning out while I work on more intricate stuff.