Along the familiar boundary sniffing
Lady twitched a loose leash.
That bird, still unidentified,
gave her curious call.

War begins in earnest and already
the tallest trees are felled.

As before the anthem goes
"only warriors will protect us"
the b-side of the medal has scratched
"only warriors will attack us"

Now sentinels have grown smaller
face the cold, check the cloudspeed
like nothing could matter more
walk the walk without the dog.

Ruins of summer tug at the heart
-what was and will be again-
I long to speak to buried seeds
but, like a dreamer waiting to wake,
a hand on the shoulder must come first.
No greater regret.