On Progress
by Jillian Danback-McGhan
We draw lines in the ocean
And corridors through the air.
Spin time around spindles to
Weave latitudes, longitudes.
Such beautiful beings we
Send to the slaughter, to make
Ink out of marrow, and write
Down the same stories on tablets
Of bone. Mining for knowledge
Yields hope as wastewater and
Ore smelted to guild emblems
Of loved ones who left us to
Draw lines in the ocean and
Corridors through the air.
And corridors through the air.
Spin time around spindles to
Weave latitudes, longitudes.
Such beautiful beings we
Send to the slaughter, to make
Ink out of marrow, and write
Down the same stories on tablets
Of bone. Mining for knowledge
Yields hope as wastewater and
Ore smelted to guild emblems
Of loved ones who left us to
Draw lines in the ocean and
Corridors through the air.
Jillian Danback-McGhan is an author and former Naval officer. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Prometheus Dreaming, Minerva Rising, and A Common Bond, which is an anthology of veteran’s fiction. Jillian holds degrees in international relations and literature from Georgetown University, George Mason University, and the United States Naval Academy. She lives in Annapolis, MD with her family and is currently working on a collection of short fiction.