Milagros Vilaplana - 12 Hours

Milagros Vilaplana pulls the veil of ignorance from our eyes with the stark, terse focus of her poem “12 Hours”. The brief lines and stanzas of “12 Hours” demand our attention and focus. Threats are near. They’re present. Being blissfully unaware won’t see us safely through the danger nor will it heal the world. “As bright and grateful as we may be for our personal lives, we are faced by vicissitudes of others every time we turn the page of the world news; we see turmoil in many places, and destruction of lives and homes and hospitals, and schools,” Milagros told The Dewdrop. “Once upon a time I thought living a good life was about having a positive attitude, but now I realize there are forces and events we must realize, learn about and work through,” she concluded.

12 Hours

on its axis
the world
turns away

on its half
darkened
side

high note
tunes
whistle

missiles
like fireworks

and the
shepherd
boy atop

the hill calling–
his sheep
still grazing

blows his
flute

indoors
the table set
for dinner

the wolf was real

Milagros Vilaplana

Daughter of a Spanish Civil War refugee, Milagros enjoys straddling her home cities of Tijuana & San Diego. Though born in the US, she was raised in Mexico, and worked internationally in various capacities; she recently graduated with an MFA from SDSU, and holds two other graduate degrees. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in 34th Parallel, Southwestern American Litature, Sky Blue Mountain Literature & Arts Magazine, Sunshine/ Noir III Anthology, Zone 3, Beyond Words, and others. Her digital poem, “Border Waters,” will be on exhibit in the International Conference of Digital Storytelling in Colombia next December.