The birds all scatter
from the tear gas in the air
no more swallows
no more pigeons anywhere
choppers descend
giant buzzards to disperse the crowds
if there were birds you wouldn’t hear them
the choppers are so loud

a few seconds of quiet
after it’s over
and the birds return

marching boots and mean, white faces
like some demented parade
a lone seagull perched on a beam
the only avian witness to the scene
there is no poetry in the truncheon
but birds are poetic even when they’re gone
no one to sing either
victory or funeral song

a few seconds of quiet
after it’s over
and the birds return

they set a curfew
at 8 the people the people go home
but put your head out the window
and you’ll hear that we’re not alone

a few seconds of quiet
after it’s over
and the birds return

Posted Friday, August 28th 2020