One morning I woke up
In a country
Willing to torture children,
To take them
From their parents and
Lock them in cages
With a mylar blanket
On a concrete floor.
Other than that,
Everything else
Seemed the same.
The car was still in the driveway
Where I left it the night before
The sun rose behind the utility poles
Where the mourning doves
Land like squeaky hinges
And my neighbor
Does his daily workout
In his cool garage
Bathed in a rosy light
Counting reps
In happy little grunts.
It’s the people in this
New country
I don’t recognize,
They just shrug and say,
“We have laws”
Then go about their business
Nodding piously when the president
At the end of every speech,
Like he’s ordering takeout
By number
From a Chinese menu,
Says “God Bless America.”
copyright Charles Oberkehr 2020
Charles Oberkehr 