May 25, 2017
They
They took photos
They took the map
crumpled into
itself crumpled
into my own hands They took
a break
They sure deserved it
They took truckloads
of roadcut rock and soil
They took samples
of leached water we told
them not to drink
Just to check,
they took a little blood
They took snapshots, buckshot
They took blaze-orange caps
They took pains
They took one half
of their vacation days
They took me along Yes,
they took me for
a ride shotgun Took me
for the boy They took
the boy took the rap
(his twenty classmates stabbed)
They shoved me aside
They took our clothes
They took our vital signs
They took care of it
See? How my hands are empty
How they’re tied