The birds that chattered in the tree above the school
have left us with the sound of wings and the smell of smoke
in our hair. For three nights now, only one star
has graced the curve of the moon. The sky is silenced:
we cannot move, who gauge our way by stories
lit above our heads. Before dawn, a uniformed man
tossed a wire loop around a stray dog's neck.
For the first time, I remembered my fear. This is a city
where teams of men shout at once, then return the fields
to their usual calm. No letters arrive. The doll left as a gift
for the previous tenant is faceless as I, as pale.