Lying on the roof
Mindlessly watching the stars move
Slowly like an hour hand in their cosmic dust trails
Stomach aching
Psychic fear makes us swallow our tears
A shrill whistle slices the humid air
I clinch my fist against my bony hip
Lie still
They come like red falling stars
Clumsy from a human's touch
Pulsing, twitching jaw
I feel it with every forced heartbeat
The impact of bloody stars makes Rachel's children scream beneath us
Lie still
We are breathing sulfur on Venus
I lay on a flat tin island
A piece of Earth untouched
Sheer curtains of sulfuric dust lifts between us
Oh, Iran
