Questions
it’s fucking hot tonight
there is an owl living
in the towering palm tree
outside my window
even he’s not asking
the usual questions
too humid to hunt for mice
or words, for that matter
the passing cars slur by
tires sticking, then
ripping themselves
from the road
it smells dank & sodden
like a plantation
rotting away in the mangroves
of bayou-filled lose-iana
what’s left of it
& I hear sirens
wailing in the distance
whining
clamoring for attention
just like everything
& everyone else
these days
half a world away
near tikrit
a 22 year old soldier
is sitting in a jeep
in the noon heat
110 degrees
wondering
if anybody cares
why he’s there