Ilya Kaminsky

Ilya Kaminsky (1977-present) is a Ukranian born Russian Jewish hard of hearing poet. His family sought asylum in the United States when he was 16 and he earned his BA from Georgetown and his JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and currently teaches in the graduate creative writing program at San Diego State University. He began writing poetry as a teenager, publishing a chapbook in Russian The Blessed City. Kaminsky is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including the Ruth Lilly Fellowship and Lannan Literary Fellowship.

We Lived Happily During the War

And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

protested

but not enough, we opposed them but not

enough. I was

in my bed, around my bed America

was falling: invisible house by invisible house by invisible house.

I took a chair outside and watched the sun.

In the sixth month

of a disastrous reign in the house of money

in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,

our great country of money, we (forgive us)

lived happily during the war.

Published:

2013

Length:

Shorty

Literary Movements:

Contemporary

Anthology Years:

2020

2023

Themes:

Violence & War