In “Wildpeace,” Amichai writes: “the howl of the orphans is passed from one generation / to the next, as in a relay race: the baton never falls” (lines 17–19), offering a vision of the future in which war never ceases and each generation passes on this legacy.

Suggested Activity: Using the image of the relay race as a prompt, ask students to write about the figurative and material “batons” that they carry in their daily lives. These can be memories, family stories, and/or physical traits that connect them to previous generations. Are these batons burdens or welcome responsibilities? What do they hope to pass on to the next generation? Ask the students to consider how the meaning of lines 17–19 changes when you remove the parentheses. Must the legacy and trauma of war, as referenced in his poem, be passed down indefinitely or does Amichai’s poem, and our reading of it, offer a way out of this relay race?