{"product_id":"heat-pressure-poems-from-war-paperback","title":"Heat + Pressure: Poems from War - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBen Weakley\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cb\u003ean explosive first collection of poetry, \u003ci\u003eHEAT + PRESSURE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, U.S. Army veteran and Tennessee storyteller Ben Weakley \u003cb\u003eexplores what it means to have gone to war\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2018, as he was retiring from the Army, \u003cb\u003eWeakley began participating in writing workshops\u003c\/b\u003e with Rockville, Maryland-based Community Building Art Works (CBAW). The practice \u003cb\u003esparked in him a passion for creating opportunities for dialogue among \"civilians\" and \"military\" audiences\u003c\/b\u003e through writing and literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I wrote these poems on phone screens in the back of commuter buses and metro trains. I wrote them in notebooks on lunch breaks at work and quiet Sunday mornings before the rest of my family was awake,\" the poet writes. \"\u003cb\u003eAt first, I wrote about combat, acts of war, and unprocessed violence\u003c\/b\u003e. As I pushed myself further, \u003cb\u003eI wanted to know more about \u003ci\u003ewhy\u003c\/i\u003e I had decided to go to war\u003c\/b\u003e [...] I wanted to know what it meant for my life \u003ci\u003enow\u003c\/i\u003e. The words happened. \u003cb\u003eI bore \u003ci\u003ewitness\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e◆◆◆◆\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE WOODEN ELEPHANTS OF HERAT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI type \u003ci\u003eAfghanistan\u003c\/i\u003e into a search engine\u003cbr\u003ethat spits out words connected to places\u003cbr\u003eand I get more places: \u003ci\u003eKandahar, Khowst, \u003cbr\u003eGardez, Herat. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I never deployed to Herat.\u003cbr\u003eBut Herat is where a woodcarver cut\u003cbr\u003escraps of walnut into two elephants\u003cbr\u003eI brought home from the war to give my son.\u003cbr\u003eFor eight years they roamed his room as he played\u003cbr\u003ein the ivory carpet of his imagination\u003cbr\u003euntil the tusks, tiny as matchsticks, fell out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe is ten now. He does not remember teething\u003cbr\u003eon my dog tags or holding my sweat-stained\u003cbr\u003epatrol cap in the Fort Knox gym the night I came home.\u003cbr\u003eHe does not remember stopping the car\u003cbr\u003eto salute the flag when the trumpet played retreat\u003cbr\u003eon post. He no longer plays with elephants, \u003cbr\u003eand now I pack them into a cardboard box\u003cbr\u003ewith faded uniforms and dusty boots-\u003cbr\u003ethe relics we're unable to throw out\u003cbr\u003ebut no longer want to display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 96\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.23 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 08, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47350765093113,"sku":"9781953665140","price":16.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/UTJkSGFhVC9WQzNpbXhnR3dFR2ZuQT09.webp?v=1769790193","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/heat-pressure-poems-from-war-paperback","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}