MAYDAY *

They’re falling
falling clusters
clusterbombs  feathers
feathers      blood      ducks dropping
dropping  dead                                    shot
shot mid-air
mid-air blood showers
showers      hail
hailstones                 blood
blood-streaked stones felled to earth
earthquake    flood    fire
fire pyre crematorium
crematorium    where you
you mother father
fathermother of you
you friend wife husband              dead
dead on these pages
pages of children pages
pages pictures poems
poems pages    remembrances
remembrances of the fallen
fallen, all fallen
fallen all.

M.K. Shapiro

* The etymology of Mayday is from the French, “M’AIDER” or M’AIDEZ”, namely, “help me”.