That April of the fall
it was already the
burning season;
petal-damp tulips
lined
the bent road, curving
west.
We donned the
camouflaged windbreaker
of nomads, who have
nothing but each other—
dashed from rock to
rock along the river’s edge
watching flames lick
the surface, catching fire
to ferns and
evergreens,
and burning down the
barns and silos
behind us.
We ran from it,
singed, to each other,
knowing together
we’d be able to save
us
and our crumpled
matchbook hearts
tossed somewhere in
the
ka-chunk, ka-chunk,
ka-chunk
of old tracks,
trained so many
miles long.
© 2014 Jennifer
Wagner