A young girl
bounds down the street
toward her waiting uncle
perched on his steambike
half her weeks wages
sloshing in a jar,
and across her shoulder,
a bag full of pamphlets
describing a bright future.
They pour the water
into the bike
careful not to waste a drop
and set off
Then a bullet
smashes through his skull
from a Prushian gun
and the pamphlets scatter,
and all she can think to do
is cup his blood
and drink,
because it's so much wasted water
And a woman
wakes up in the desert
with no uncle
and no job
and just enough water
for a single tear
that trickles down her cheek
when she thinks
of the bright future
that never was.
bounds down the street
toward her waiting uncle
perched on his steambike
half her weeks wages
sloshing in a jar,
and across her shoulder,
a bag full of pamphlets
describing a bright future.
They pour the water
into the bike
careful not to waste a drop
and set off
Then a bullet
smashes through his skull
from a Prushian gun
and the pamphlets scatter,
and all she can think to do
is cup his blood
and drink,
because it's so much wasted water
And a woman
wakes up in the desert
with no uncle
and no job
and just enough water
for a single tear
that trickles down her cheek
when she thinks
of the bright future
that never was.