Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. Today’s poet is DeKalb resident Dori Burg.
Burg’s, 76, has lived in DeKalb for 48 years. Her artistry expands past poetry. She’s a dancer, musician, singer and songwriter.
This community activist is a grandmother who loves taking care of feral cats.
“I get them fixed and you know whoever comes to me,” she said, “I even get their teeth cleaned.”
Burg says she loves DeKalb and she believes in the people who live in the city.
“I put my heart out there, and I feel the caring and the kindness and the love and the gentleness in other people's hearts,” she explained. “This gives me hope.”
Here’s her poem “Behind the War.”
Behind the war,
the war our fathers gave us
is a meadow with flowers and a horse
Behind the war,
the war our fathers gave us
is a tiny stream
a brook rippling among stones through the meadow
where the horse may drink
Behind the war, the war,
the war our fathers gave us
is a sky, so high and wide
with clouds that go on forever,
sailing out like ships
a horse to run and dance upon the earth so free
a horse with muscles like the burls of trees
with a voice so sweet it hurts to hear
and eyes as deep as a night of stars
reach back so far behind the tired war
and touch the meadow and the flowers
find the horse, God save us
the war our fathers gave
