Elephant, M.D. Skeen (June 2026)

 

Elephant

On that day, the eleventh of September,
You and I were traveling in Thailand.
We bussed it into Bangkok, I remember,
With plans to travel southward to the islands.
I sat across from you, looked out the window,
And spotted blooms of smoke and flaming flowers
Burning through the newspapers below
At sidewalk stands: the falling of the towers.
We jumped off the bus at Bangkok station.
I dragged you to an internet café.
I watched with shock the strikes against my nation,
My countrymen’s last moments on display.
I looked at you, tears welling in my eyes.
You said, “I hope George Bush was there, and died.”