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On Mark Hamill voicing Luke Skywalker for a Ukrainian air raid alert app

Luke Skywalker could do a lot of things
   as we have witnessed time
and time again. He could even learn
   to use the Force
under a strict deadline and high pressure
so well he could shoot a minuscule target
   to destroy the deadliest weapon
in the galaxy with his X-Wing’s targeting
computer switched off and nothing to guide him
   but faith in himself and those
who came before him, but that was
a long time ago and a galaxy far,
   far away.
Now, in our galaxy, all we have
is the echo of Luke Skywalker
   alerting us to threats from the sky,
   demanding we do not hesitate to hide,
but unlike his Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi,
   Luke Skywalker does not tell us
to use the Force. Instead, he says,
   May the Force be with you,
and only after the threat has passed.
Luke Skywalker could do a lot of things,
   and while a space wizard from the past
cannot save us now, maybe he can remind us
to have faith in ourselves and those who came before us
since many will not hear Luke Skywalker say,
   May the Force be with you,
or remember that Obi-Wan Kenobi insisted,
   The Force will be with you, always.

 

 

[Editor’s Note: Publication of this poem was made possible by a gift from Matt during our annual Kickstarter.]



Deron Eckert is a writer and poet who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. His work has appeared in Rattle, Door is a Jar, Ghost City Review, Maudlin House, and elsewhere. He is currently seeking publication for his Southern Gothic coming-of-age novel and his first collection of poetry.
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22 Jul 2024

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