Once I was a quick chickadee
hiding above you, peeping
through a dense cluster of red
maple leaves. Your sparse
hair tufted from
the bulge of your skull,
your body seemed a boney
extension of the tree
stump on which you sat.
Shifting sunlight reflected
off the rifle barrel resting
across stick-thin thighs.
You sat motionless, oblivious
to fall’s finale blazing
around you. A sudden crack
of thunder was followed by
the cessation of all sound.
Your body, headless now,
slumped onto a mossy bed,
draining sheets of crimson
over the silvery-green cover.
Bits of bone, chunks of brain
matter, streaks and blotches
of blood mixed with autumn
hues, turning the sunny
afternoon into a surreal scene
from a gruesome horror film.
In the distance I heard
the loudening laughter of children
walking home from school.
Thanks Deborah. I feel the same way about so many of your poems!
Thank you Hamid. This poem was in me for a long time before I was able to write it.
A very powerful poem that will stay with me always. Vivid and brilliant!
I love this piece…