Conquest

There’s a flower growing
around the backbone of something
dead out in the desert where
the collective wars and nightmares
of the Earth become as real
as how it feels to lose your mind.
The longest running way
our leaders like to waste our time
by conquering the others
on the outside of the lines drawn
on a map that doesn’t show
correct projection.
Birds diving at whistling speeds
to grab the snakes down
in the tall grass keeping warm
to test the clearness of their sight.
A giant moth with dripping eyes
that likes to hog the light
and breaths with lungs
that sound just like those
freight trains passing by.
A boy and girl escape
their summer camp in the 1950s
heatwave of the decade
and hold hands while looking
everywhere for headlights.
They hope they never make it home
again and cannot help but wonder when
the moon will bloom
like everything it touches.