The caskets, flag-draped,
sit in the open mouth
of our wonder,
waiting for the right burst
of wind to set them free.
One by one, they leave their brothers,
sisters, taking wing
with white stars and blood stripes,
sure of their path across
the sky.
We are not to see this:
we are not to know how they slept
in the belly;
we are not permitted fragments
of bodies, unholy wrecks
of lost lives, lost love.
But you were whole once.
You were wanted.
You bore the brunt of our promises.
It is my duty
to watch the death parade, to watch
you leave your brothers, sisters -
one by one -
taking that first flight, home-flagged,
toward the black fringes
of the sun.
