Death Garden

~
Death Garden
~
The old woman stood in her garden
Of cabbage and Welsh onions... 
The soil covered daily with
A frosted layer of ash;
Ash that would fall from the sky 
Around the clock...
Much like the disturbing gun thunder 
In the far off distance.
~
Amongst the Spindle and Edelweiss
Hummingbirds hovered in hypnotic stasis
Drawing from the nectar
Deep within the flowering ovaries.
~
On the other side of a rail depot
Guard dogs barked above a deadened stillness
Inside the brick walls and barbed wire;
Sabateurs of silence.
How can life and death 
Be in such close proximity?
~
A human freight train came 
Every other day
Emptying out its unfashionable cargo.
Their rememberance of decency 
Had ended long ago
As they were shoved and prodded
Like caged animals, 
Their captives towards the compound.
~
A tower sentry looked down 
From his elevated platform 
Observing the proceedings.
The psychology, of course,
Was that I'm up here
And you're down there;
You're not human.
Unlike the strong wave of propaganda 
His fellow soldiers had adopted
He was not fully at peace with the 
Graphic images...and smells
Life now served up;
His personal brainwashing 
Not fully completed.
~
The eyes of the sentry and old woman 
Now met 
In an exchange of the truth
As if to say...
Even God seems to stay away.
From this unholy place.
~
One day the gun thunder will die down;
The ash will enrich the soil
And the trinity will appear again.
~
~    ....ian
~    4-24-12
~    dark poetry