Baptism
Aug 26, 2023
In this land
what remains will be gathered —
from those who tore down Grozny
to the guards of Moscow’s slums.
And they will be seduced,
sirens of death
will overwhelm the empire’s sons.
The sky knows them well —
from the nets of their eyes
to the maps of their thumbs,
to the scent of Iscariot’s silver
fermenting in their lungs.
They rain fire
on the wilderness of Damascus,
and they march to Goebbels’ drums.
‘Sit with me,’ she says,
‘When was the last time
you watched your city
baptised by the Huns?’
