Tipton Poetry Journal – Spring 2022
The Splitting Marjie Giffin I feel a loneliness settling down upon me as I stretch my legs out on the couch and pull a book off the coffee table in search of something comforting to read. I can hear the television, voices heated, raised in argument over the January 6 insurrection. I cringe. The country is being torn apart by factions, by lies and temperaments and actions of men who’ve lost their wits and women who’re steeped in conspiracy. I want to weep when I think of all that has been lost --- civility, truth, humanity, tolerance. There is rancor born of such strident voices, elevated in ugly pitches, one against the other. Some want to protest, others secede. The nation is splitting apart at the seams. The issues are many, the passions extreme. I curl up on my couch and just try to sleep.
2