Rachel Armes-McLaughlin

You drop bombs
tearing across sky
black bird of prey –

I drop words
on page.

I march,
I demonstrate.

Yet we hail from
same coordinates,

Whiteman
Air Base –

My father controlled
your airspace,
controlled

you.

He is gone, but his
zeal for violence
still reigns
on the base
where I was birthed.

This poem was written in response to the June 22, 2025 bombing of Iran, which was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers originating from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where the aircrafts are stationed and where the author was born.

Rachel Armes-McLaughlin has written poetry for nearly 25 years. Her work is published in The Chaos Section Poetry Project, where she currently assists as co-editor; in venues such as Loblolly Press, Middle Mouse Press, and Medicine and Meaning; in a Central Arkansas
Library System anthology; and elsewhere, with one poem nominated for Best of the Net and another nominated for a 2025 Pushcart Prize. Rachel lives in the very red state of Arkansas with her husband, Jack; daughter, Isabelle; and four cats. You can find her on BlueSky at @mother-poet.bsky.social.

This poem appeared in What We Hold On To: Poems of Coping, Connection, and Carrying On — Winter 2026, published by The Chaos Section Poetry Project. We’ll be featuring each poem from the collection individually in the weeks ahead. You can read the full collection or download a free PDF of the chapbook here.