Dunya Mikhail

On the 4^th of July
here in Detroit
I hear the echo of Baghdad explosions
They say these are fireworks

Song by song
I scatter my birds
away from the fogs of smoke
They say these are ordinary clouds in the sky

A butterfly from the Tigris shores
alights on my hand
No bombs today to scare her away
They say this is the Detroit River

I enter a shelter
with the others in the crowd
We will exit at the end of the raid
They say this is the tunnel to Canada