No Kings / No Soldiers

by A.M. Tuomala in Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Eight | 90 Words

I am beating your
swords into ploughshares I am un
sowing every dragon’s tooth
I am floating cedars back
up the Euphrates I am
putting the Bull of Heaven to
pasture I am unwinding the
noose of borders I am walking you
down from the gallows
I am holding
your hand I am holding your
hand

(Editors’ Note: “No Kings / No Soldiers” is read by Matt Peters on the Uncanny Magazine Podcast, Episode 68A.)

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A.M. Tuomala

A.M. Tuomala lives in western New York, somewhere between Niagara Gorge and the Eternal Flame. In addition to hiking those sublime landscapes, Tuomala enjoys researching the history of science, identifying local plants, and building new worlds. Tuomala’s most recent novel, The Map and the Territory, was released in December of 2022.