Here at USFSP, poetry is a popular art form; one that students can participate in themselves or go to see live at our open mic nights on campus. Within the Her Campus organization, we would like to begin to create a space for poets to submit their pieces.
This is “Caterwaul,” a poem about the Millennial generation with references to Ernie Pyle’s “The God-Damned Infantry.”
Photo Courtesy of The Odyssey
Caterwaul
We fight, we yell, jaws move sharply.
Our nights have been defined by violence and our days sleepless from crashing planes.
We ‘90s children have seen it all.
Burned out lines of our bodies show along the graffiti we walk beside,
But we try to cast off the demons of our ancestors,
And try to be friends instead of preachers.
We are the God-damned infantry,
We are the public dissent, the question of what will happen in 10 years’ time.
The uncomfortable underdogs trying to make sense of America’s waste,
And the disgrace that we cause is in the name of our screaming souls,
Our souls breaking apart from the mix of it all,
Trying to be heard.
And if we cannot speak with silence,
Then we cannot be ignored with a caterwaul.
If you enjoyed this piece, please take the time to free your schedule for April 12th, the date of the second annual Poetry Show at USFSP. Also stay on the lookout for pieces in the English Honors Society literary magazine Papercut.
HC with care,
Megan Hammer
Photo Sources:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/millennials-tragically-misunderstood-generation