wartime blues

no one is coming

to save you

so you must

dig down with

your roots

over and over

until you die

you must remind

yourself that you

have your familiar

you have your dreams

you have a good pen

to write it all down

while crying fast hot

tears onto

the soil

at your feet

above all

you must never stop

growing

alone in a field

with blackbirds as

neighbors

in a busy city

park spilling

leaves for children

to kick

no one is coming

to save you so

make your roots shallow

enough to say

goodbye