Photo by Maddie McEwen (She/They)
Tulsa 2-0, a bird falls in Brooklyn
and we rage and we retch and we reap what they sowed
from the towers they built on the bones of our own
of the brothers we bury, butterflies bound to bedrooms
and the vultures that gorge on our grief, plundering
‘til the pirates of playtime are whittled to pawns —
pieces in power plays; someone’s loss, someone’s gain
watch them crawl from their caves for their piece of the pie
now there’s war in Ohio, now there’s crows in Nevada
you don’t speak to the kid when he calls from the street
you’re hatred, you’re holy, blessed killer of sons,
you leave him to starve and your blood beats his heart
pray you’ll leave us to weep when the hummingbirds gaze
with eyes that were his, when the birds fly away.
Credits:
Author: Lorely Guzman (They/He/She)
Artist: Maddie McEwen (She/They)
Copy Editors: Min Kim (They/Them), Bella (She/They)