in peace

   by Mimi Ferraro


Squawk of rapacious bird,
tattered uniform betrays  me.
I lie here, alone, in this desert,
belong to no one,  everyone.
Overhead, flag snaps bursts of colors, stars.
No water here, I thirst.  Fed only bone, 
shadow memory, I hunger.   Nameless, fatherless, 
I belong to no one.  In the dust nearby,
spit twisted snake,  the Caduceus, crawls away. 
Day, like night, drags me mute across the sand.   
I blur into sliding pieces of sky.  Wind unties me.
Beneath: roots penetrate.