After Hearing the Rain

wet
with the dew
of a heavy rain—
the scent of ozone
lingering still

          *

a bird cries
somewhere in a nest—
her shattered child

          *

the gate has opened—
I walk through
looking for salvation

          *

these are the souls
who wander
the desolate streets—
I search their eyes
they do not see

          *

in the street
after a heavy rain—
a moment of heat

          *

there is an invisible string—
I pull it, along the street
lifting me through
the lingering mist

          *

human shapes
have scattered in a pattern
along a random path

          *

liars
all of them—
in this moment of conquest
the subjugated, the fallen
are still here
and no one hears