I

Bent across a crooked knee

thighs against a swollen stomach,

she lay unmoving in the grass

oblivious to a waiting vulture.

II

Fear-stricken eyes

with tiny fists raised in surrender,

mistaking a camera for a gun

She trembled as he took a picture.

III

She hugged the giraffe close to her body,

it’s neck encircling her legs

Gun at her shoulder,

trophy at her feet.

IV

They worked hard all day,

smelling of fertilizer

grinding from dawn to dusk

a score of bison skulls.

V

He looked into the kind eyes

of a smiling uniformed adult

A blurry flag folded in his arms,

it came home in exchange for his father.

VI

A man beheld a soft body,

facedown against the snow

he kneeled on hard ground and wept

The sun rose again

Where warm tears tore against barren land,

a solitary dandelion grew.