Columbia

It was a sunless morning
Red dawn Texas
Men sealing the fate of their cattle
With red hot iron brands
Fields coated in green down fur
Locked in with electric fences
Women cooking pig meat in oil
Batter bubbling in griddles

The aluminum bits of your frame
Flew in, crash-landing in their backyards
Before the breakfast mess was cleaned
Before the children hopped their bikes
And sped off to the playgrounds
Fiery unexpected death
Premature burial 40 miles up
Unceremoniously cremated by
Rocket fuel
Streaks of white dust, toxins in the sky
A bacon-scented morning gone awry

You've made your mark for miles
Bloodlessly screwed down into the earth
With your crew
Your toxins
Your fleeting fame
Your news-worthy attention-grabbing denoument
I mourn for you like the others
Watch the footage of your plummeting end

When the TV is off and the day is quiet
I look up at the clouds and realize
It was a sunless morning
And you added light
A metallic sun goes down tonight

-Gena Schwam 2003