I.

        They tell us the war might go for another decade.
        I'll be fifty then.
        By then we'll all be used
        To drinking only bottled water
        To consider in worshipful adoration
        The suffering of others: the purposefully
        Purposeless plunge of the knife into the aorta,
        A quick glance
        Over your shoulder. Yes, this moment too
        Was captured, bound on film.

        II.

        You can relax. We're watching
        You. And even the children
        Skipping through arcs of water in the south-end
        Parts of New Orleans, and the women
        Sitting under palm trees, catching a breeze,
        They too are being watched. A woman
        Insists I work very hard at my job. I believe
        Her. I write this down. She watches me.
        I watch her watching me. This moment is brought to you
        By your ego. I've been bullish on ego since
        Bob's tip. He drives an 04 Silverado now,
        The man's on his third wife
        About a nose job. Mostly we talked about you,
        Though, we watched videos too.
        You should smile more. Straighten
        Your shoulders. Your pants are too long.

Copyright © Claudia K. Grinnell, 2004. All Rights Reserved.