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RM
Ray Miller
Follow Ray Miller
Jan 24, 2026 ⭐ View statistics (Premium feature)

Blowback

They said it’s the end of history
when it was just an interregnum

They said whatever we say goes
and cancelled further questions

They could’ve been munificent
but went for world hegemony

and humiliating rivals
with economic shock therapy

They could’ve kept those promises
to the begging and defeated

but they hoarded stolen property
and marched the empire eastward

They fabricated phony wars
that debased the United Nations

and pretended when the blowback came
that there was no provocation

About This Poem

Editing Stage: Not actively editing

About the Author

Country/Region: England

Favorite Poets: John Cooper Clarke , Fleur Adcock , Carol Anne Duffy , Derek Mahon

More from this author

Comments

J

Jane A. Rug

3 months ago

succinct within the precinct of me noggin

i marveled how the captain of his ship steered his poem to clarity within the realm of literary minimalism in my mind, thus cheers for breezy creation that encapsulated and distilled essential flaws of humanity.

Lavender

Lavender

3 months ago

Blowback

Hello, Ray,

Frightening in many ways, mostly that I'm certain this speaks of both the past and the present.

Well done.

L

T

tony mckeown

2 months ago

This is well done. I like…

This is well done. I like how you use the vocabulary/terminoligy ie "interregnum" and "hegemony". These are magnificent words that seem to be of the past, but you use them to effect here. I'm embarrassed to say I learned a new word with "munificent" too !