A little bird has flown the nest
                     to seek a world of wonder
and spreads her wings 'neath skies possessed      
                     by lightning bolts and thunder.

She flees approaching hurricanes
                     her feathers, white, aflutter,
and travels over vast terrains
                     of broken stones and clutter.

And though she swoops to skirt the curse
                     her hopes are torn asunder,
for on the ground’s a universe
                     of raging death and plunder.

The sands below have hid all trace
                     of olive trees and clover
where splintered bones now span a space
                     which rolling dunes pass over.

In search of silent secrets stored
                     by enemies uncertain
the loons will surf with waterboard,
                     well masked behind a curtain.

Beneath the bats that flee in fright
                     from hell that’s in the making
(so hot, the corpse of night ignites),
                     the thread of life is breaking.

A sudden burst and numbing noise
                     (replacing sounds of laughter)
lead army boots o’er children’s toys
                     debouching towards disaster.

Barrages break and rivers bleed
                     in everywhere down under
but nonetheless there’s flesh for feed
                     wherever buzzards blunder.

The aged, youth and embryos,
                     through wanton death, are waning -
the vultures, hawks and ebon crows,
                     well fed, are not complaining.

As carnage spreads (like ancient plagues),
                     a virus cruel and schlepping,
the lanes are lined with shattered legs
                     where e’er the goose was stepping.

A ducky quacks in hot pursuit
                     while seeking help and shelter,
but wizened owls give not a hoot
                     in worlds so helter-skelter
                    
The consequence of pillages,
                     where love of man surceases,
are craters, onetime villages
                     reduced to tiny pieces.

The gardens, white, where lilies bloomed,
                     now fallow fields of ashes,
are catacombs of cities doomed
                     'neath sonic booms and flashes.

Survivors traipsing place to place
                     like nomads forced to wander,
are searching for a piece of peace
                     within the distant yonder.

A savage world in smithereens
                     with olive branches burning -
disgruntled doves endure these scenes
                     through endless years of yearning.

The Gods of birds are of no use,
                     inept like Those of others -
so foes attack, with blessed excuse
{both sides claim right inside the night!}
                     while earth, in embers, smothers.

                     Epitaph

The cuckoos covet kingdom come  
                     while roosting on a rafter -
there’s food for all, though only chum,
                     in birdy-land hereafter.