~
Saturn Jupiter Mars,
three blind mice running
up the clock to find freedom.
starlight stairs in abyss,
cities of the interior ring
carry a dangerous cargo: citizens.
t-minus one/this is fear
I am no astronaut,
I'm a refugee, bleeding hands pressed
tight to the barbed-wired fence.
we play charades from the window,
lunar phases keening
in the tender light of these infant wars.
t-minus one/this is fear
farewell threshold on laudanum,
the grifted gift of the Joe Blakes
painted from memory.
the far off observation
telescoping my fear, leading me
to believe I'm hiding in plain view.
~