Stilled by a mid-summer chill,
and soaked by pelting rain,
the starlings watch
in somber silence.

A cautious wind
shoulders dry elm leaves,
as clunking boots
crack through open air.

Dark, iridescent
wings flitter, bent upwards
while a father whispers
a silent prayer.

Soldiers carve
through narrow streets,
as power lines hiss
with growing malice.