Dead
by jane Thursday, May 23 2019, 11:34am
international / poetry / post

the flag, heavy with rain
barely moves in the wind
the rotunda deserted
rain pellets strike the surface of the lake
bugle and drum are silent
a nation without pity dies
inert bodies strewn like refuse in the field

ur hair lifted and flowing in the summer breeze
now drips heavy water, the colour of life is absent
from ur face
tho ur beauty remains like white porcelain, cold
to the touch

wild water birds shriek as they fly
leaving a head lolling to and fro
on the back of a black swan still moving but dying

a neck broken that once held high the majesty
of life
death has overtaken everything past and perverse
making way for the white swans and pelicans
of future time

a warning sign remains by the lake,
pure water that once supported amphibians and birds
only grows toxic algae today,
fertilized by the folly of men