Witness

I’m not sure how useful

I can be as a witness.

Everything happened so fast.

I remember the smell of fear,

An ear stuck to the ceiling,

Subtraction everywhere.

Through the smoke

I saw men surrendering.

One of them

Looked like me.

It was quiet after the explosion

You could hear people deciding

To live or die.

There was intelligence on the floor,

Dreams running down the street

Asking to be photographed.

I overheard a girl with braids

Asking time to go backwards

Please just for a second.

It was a reasonable request

Everyone agreed

And went on bleeding.

In a corner

Religions

Were heaped like rags.

I wanted to sleep

And give away my eyes.

I remember thinking of the ways

All of us give the bombers their orders,

Suicidal each of us

In our own way.

Suddenly, a few reasons

To survive:

Lullabies demanding to be sung

Gift of exhaling, inhaling

Maps waiting to find us

Numberless dawns ready for pulling

Out of endless nights.

                                                   -- Panama, October 15, 2006