Golden in the Morning Crane Our Necks

                     in a past life I was
                      a little fish who
                      cleaned the
                   shells of
                   turtles
                  a dream
                helped me
              remember their
            deep voice of thanks
  many nights I heard sharks waiting
      for the tide to draw me near
      when the calendar runs out
      it feels lucky another awaits
      all I have ever wanted was to
      forge the English language into
      a spear and drive it into my heart
      between leaping and being shoved
      no lonelier place to put my faith for the
      swinging motion inside the dance we share
      don the extraordinary suit for this ordinary day
      take our time studying trees to imagine the
      nests we would build if we were birds
              I ask all
             you talented
               people spending
           many creative hours
            perfecting killer drones
          guns and bombs to please
            know we are waiting for
           you on the other side
            of art in the No
              Kill Zone

Copyright Credit: CAConrad, "Golden in the Morning Crane Our Necks" from Amanda Paradise.  Copyright © 2021 by CAConrad.  Reprinted by permission of Wave Books.
Source: Amanda Paradise (Wave Books, 2021)