Henri Cole

 

     War Rug

The pony and the deer are trapped by tanks,
and the lady with the guitar is sad beyond words. 
Hurtling across the sky, a missile has mistaken 
a vehicle for a helicopter, exploding in a ball 
of white flame. Upside-down birds—red specks 
of knotted wool—glow above the sideways trees. 
Hidden among plants, a barefooted boy waits— 
like the divine coroner—aiming his rifle at something, 
enjoying the attentions of a gray doggy, or maybe 
there's a bullet already in his head.